Can't Keep From You
by Yumekui7
Summary: The public has not seen Harry Potter since the end of the War. Where has he gone and who is this mystery woman Draco Malfoy finds so intriguing? Main Pairing:DMHP. NOTfemHP.
1. Chapter 1

Draco felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a frown as he watched men and women flounce around the venue in their best robes. He had no idea why he even attended these events anymore. It was the fifth anniversary of the end of the Second Wizarding War.

Despite what many believed, the war hadn't ended the moment the retched half-blood died, done in by his own spell. Death Eaters tried to fulfill what their lord had not for the next six months after that day at Hogwarts. It took those six months for the Ministry to capture all Death Eaters. Most were imprisoned in Azkaban, however, some were pardoned for reasons such as the Malfoy's, defecting to the Light. After all, Draco's family had received testimony from the Saviour of the Wizarding World himself, Harry Potter. Speaking of the man, it seems as though he has disappeared from the face of the earth. The Ministry claims he is still alive. "Harry Potter's magic is still active in our archive," they say to ensure the public their Boy Who Lived is still, in fact, alive. However, it brings about speculations that circle around the members of the Wizarding World. Has Harry Potter forsaken the world he saved? The Malfoy heir sighed softly, giving a slight smile and waved politely to a young lady somewhere towards his left trying to attract his attention. He fixed his features once more before scanning the crowd for any being that might provide some intelligent conversation. He spotted Granger, who he supposed was now a Weasley, and nodded in acknowledgment when she made eye contact. In response, she gave a polite smile before turning back to her husband and the current Minister of Magic.

Draco continued observing the attendees when he spotted a most peculiar form standing by a window, waving goodbye to Luna Lovegood. He walked towards the figure at a leisurely place, examining her eccentric clothes. The young woman was clothed in what he could only assume was Muggle clothing. The boots on her feet seemed reminiscent of the shoes Nymphadora Tonks had favored. Combat boots, he decided, laced up to mid-calf. Draco's eyes took in the rest of her ensemble. A dark red and black plaid, pleated skirt reached just up to her knees and swished slightly as she shifted her stance. Draco was still quite a distance from her when she raised a hand to brush through her long, dark hair. He could not see her shirt seeing as he was coming up behind the woman. The obsidian ringlets of hair bounced lightly as she pulled her hand away. The dark hair reached just past her shoulder blades and contrasted nicely with the light cream color of her leather jacket. A glint of light caught his attention as his focus closed in on the several piercings along her right ear. All but one held simple silver rings along the side of her ear. On the lobe dangled a tiny fluttering Golden Snitch. _Ah, a Quidditch fan_, Draco observed. He stepped to the side and grabbed two flutes of champagne from a floating tray, making his way over to the oddly dressed woman.

"And what is a beautiful lady, such as yourself, doing standing by her lonesome on this glorious night?" Draco voiced, hoping this woman would not turn and scowl at him. After all, former Death Eaters are not welcomed with a warm hug these days.

The woman turned slowly on her heel and looked up at him with the most green eyes he had ever seen. Instead of scowling and storming off, she gave a tiny amused smiled. "Why, waiting for a handsome man, such as yourself, to grace me with his presence, of course," she took the champagne flute gently as the Malfoy heir held it out to her. "And you surely don't see this," she gestured to the chattering crowd, "as a glorious night, do you?" she continued. The amused quirk of her lips never left her face as she sipped lightly at the golden, bubbling liquid.

Draco responded with his own slight smile as he took in the front of her appearance. She wore a loose black top the exposed her collarbone and upper chest. The thin material seemed to just hang off her body effortlessly. A movement on her collar caught his interest as two pairs of black paw prints trailed along her pale skin and rested just below her jaw. The faint gloss on her lips seemed to be the only trace of make-up on her face. The nude color on her lips caused her to look even paler, but not unappealingly so. "Not my ideal of a glorious night, but others seem to think so."

The woman nodded. "Then what are you doing here?" She turned towards the crowd slightly, taking in the appearances of the older women and men.

"Merely a formality, however, I'm glad to have met someone who shares my views of this particular event." Draco was granted with a snicker. "If I may ask, why are you here? You don't seem to fit among this crowd, not to mention your eccentric state of dress." Draco was then granted another bout of soft laughter.

"Merely a formality, besides, the invitations never state the dress code. I just happened to have an irritating day at work so I didn't feel like dressing up to impress people that don't really matter to me. I look nice enough, don't you think?" She twirled around briefly, stopping dramatically with a hand on her hip. She shook her head to the side and blew upwards to rid her face of the hair the fell in front when she spun around.

"Yes, you do," he obliged, eye alight with amusement. "What do you do? I assume not at the Ministry, even if it can be irritating."

"I own a bookstore in Muggle London. I cater to both Wizards and Muggles. All magical aspects in my shop cannot be seen by anyone who does not believe in magic. It allows more convenience to people who do not want to travel into obvious Wizarding areas, also expose them to Muggle literature," she finished with a flourish.

Draco sipped his champagne and inquired more about her work before asking what it was that irritated her on this particular day. She responded with a huff and Draco wondered if it was too personal, but she answered anyway.

"A customer wouldn't leave me alone. He kept staring at me, not buying anything. I left him alone for about 2 hours but after that he decided perhaps that was the signal he needed to carry out his ostentatious attempts at flirting," she gagged and blew up at her fringe again, possibly in annoyance to the memory of her day. "He stopped just before I closed up shop, only because Orion bit him."

"Orion?," Draco inquired. The name was familiar to him. It was the name of a well known constellation and the name of one of his Uncles on his mother's side.

"Oh yes, I have a dragon. His name is Orion. He's not that big, about the size of a fully grown crup. He won't get any bigger than that, takes guarding me pretty seriously though. A friend of mine takes care of dragons in Romania and gave him to me when I first started out. I'm sorry, I've been talking all about myself this whole time. What is it that you do?" She flushed lightly when she realized she had been talking the entire time with only a few nods from Draco here and there.

Draco waved off the apology. "No worries. It's nice to have someone to talk to here and you seem to be a very interesting person. Not many own dragons, let alone train one to be protective of something other than their own eggs. I'm a Potions Master. I recently came back from my apprenticeship in France. As much as I love the French, it's nice to be home," he paused. "I'm sorry, but do you know who I am? People don't usually talk to me so openly unless they have no idea who I am." In response, he received a light chuckle.

"You're Draco Malfoy, of course. I don't care about your past, only your present, and possibly your future," she said airily, quite like the way Lovegood speaks. "You don't seem like a blood-thirsty Death Eater; you certainly don't smell like one," she laughed. "I've had my fair share of dealings with Death Eaters; I know when people change and only want acceptance from peers," she smiled sadly.

Before Draco could question any further, the woman placed her empty champagne flute on the sill of the window and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I spy someone that may comment on my being here, looking the way I am." She turned away from Draco, heading to the apparition points just a few feet away.

However, Draco reached out and touched her lightly on the shoulder. Whipping around, her emerald eyes shone of surprise before she tried to wave goodbye. "It was a pleasure to have someone to speak to so amicably. Could we do this again some time?" He hadn't wanted to seem desperate for a friend, but at this point, he really was.

The woman cast a glance over his shoulder once more before conjuring a scrap of parchment and a quill. She scribbled on the parchment, then handed it to Draco. "Drop by whenever you want to talk." The mystery woman disappeared when Draco had looked up from the address on the scrap. He frowned slightly as he realized her never asked for her name seeing as she already knew his.

A flash of copper hair entered his vision as the youngest Weasley sibling walked up to him. They had come to sort of truce seeing as they were working together at St. Mungo's. The Weasley girl was surprisingly adept at Potions and had just received her masters as he had. "Hello, Ginerva," he greeted.

"Oh, hello, Malfoy. You hadn't have happened to see someone with dark hair and green eyes, have you? And several ear piercings? About ye high?" She asked, gesturing to a height, just at Draco's eye level. She turned her head back and forth, searching the crowd and twisting her engagement ring on her finger.

Draco raised an eyebrow, thinking back to the woman he had met earlier that evening. "Actually, I have. She just left."

The long fiery red hair bounced as she whipped her head up at the blond. "She?" Ginny then bowed her head and grumbled something under her breath, most likely in frustration. "Were you talking to her? Did she say where she was going?" She looked up hopefully.

Draco frowned lightly. "She went to the apparition point. Why do you ask?"

"Are you going to meet with her again?" She asked, ignoring the question posed to her.

"Yes, the day after tomorrow. We have the day off. She only gave me this address. I assume it's to her bookstore," he showed the scrap of parchment to the ginger hesitantly.

Ginny eyed the parchment carefully, cocking her head to the side in thought. "Oh, this is in Muggle London. Not far from an apparition point. Mind if I go with you?"

Draco shrugged. It wasn't very often he went anywhere with the youngest Weasley, but having a friend of sorts at work would benefit him.

The ginger girl grinned. "Alright, thanks. I'll see you then. We'll meet in front of St. Mungo's I suppose. Have a good evening, Malfoy," she waved over her shoulder, heading back to her fiancé, he assumed.

Draco turned towards the apparition points and scolded himself for not asking Ginerva what the woman's name is. He huffed quietly, apparating just outside the grounds of Malfoy Manor.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry really didn't like going to those annual Ministry Functions held for the end of the War, but he really didn't feel like dealing with the results of offending the Ministry of Magic had he not made an appearance, no matter how abstract. He apparated into the wards of the Ministry and felt the familiar hum of the wards recognizing and recording his magical signature. It was something like those machines Muggles had that would record when someone entered and exited.

He sighed and adjusted his outfit, brushing the long black hair over his shoulder. Harry didn't particularly like being a girl. He preferred his original form with all his bits in the right places, but playing a girl in public was better than being mobbed by hordes of them. Thousands of marriage proposals piled in when it got out that Ginny and he would not be rekindling their relationship after all battles were over. He shrugged. He only had to stay for a few hours, then he could go back home and be with Teddy.

Andromeda passed a couple years ago. The impact of losing so many of those close to her took a toll on her, especially since she had lost her daughter and son-in-law at the same time. The depression just increased after the War causing Andromeda to fall ill and eventually leave Teddy to Harry.

He moved further in to the large hall, settling on a standing beside the large windows. Harry stood in the same spot for nearly three hours, occasionally greeting the strangers that would approach him. Not many, this year. Most likely due to his state of dress, he assumed.

Harry checked the clock that stood in the front of the room and smiled, seeing only another hour before he could head home without seeming impolite to the Ministry. Harry smiled as he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair and made contact with the grey eyes. He waved at Luna as she made her way over.

"Hello, what name are you using tonight, Harry?" She spoke quietly so no one could overhear, but Harry knew they wouldn't look over at the two. After all, the purpose of his disguise was to not get noticed. He supposed dressing the way he was now wasn't helping that fact. The hard rubber heel of the combat boots he wore gave a slight thump as he stepped to give Luna a hug. His skirt brushed against Luna's own eccentric robes as they parted.

"I don't plan on introducing myself to anyone this evening, Luna. But if you must have a name for anyone that might question, Lily Black suits me just fine." He smiled, holding the small female at arms length.

Luna gave her own dreamy smile and nodded. "I see the Wrackspurts haven't come back. This is good news. How is the shop?"

"Perfect. Although, there was a creep earlier almost making me run late, but Orion took care of him nicely," he laughed. Harry chewed the corner of his mouth as he thought back to the customer that stared incessantly at him. For the first hour or so, Harry thought perhaps someone had seen through his disguise and would alert the press, but when the man proceeded to flirt, he relaxed. Harry wasn't against having men flirt with him, he was, after all, bi-sexual. Having no experience with another man did not tell him whether or not he leaned more towards one sex or another.

"That's good, my husband seems to be calling me over now. I'll see you soon, Lily," she kissed him on the cheek and walked over to her husband who was talking to someone who looked official and important.

He settled against the windows again, scanning the crowd for anyone interesting to observe. He felt eyes on him but paid it no mind. After a couple minutes of searching, Harry gave up. Everyone seemed too alike, not like that was any different than any other year. He sighed softly, brushing a hand through the long black hair he had grown used to over the past year.

"And what is a beautiful lady, such as yourself, doing standing by her lonesome on this glorious night?" A baritone voice sounded behind him. It was familiar, but he couldn't seem to pinpoint it. The words made him snicker silently. _Oh, I'm as much as a lady as you are, mister_, he thought. He spun on his heel with a light smile on his face and briefly eyed the man before him.

Short, platinum hair that probably felt as soft as it looked, piercing grey eyes that showed the true emotions he didn't allow his face to. It was all too familiar to Harry. The dark maroon color of his dress shirt matched his own skirt, Harry noted. The fabric seemed to shimmer in the dim light as the man held out a flute of champagne. "Why, waiting for a handsome man, such as yourself, to grace me with his presence, of course," he responded, hoping he could have something to occupy his mind for the next hour. Harry reached out and took the glass with as much grace as he could muster. The black trousers he wore hung on his hips, fastened in place with a black leather belt decorated with a simple silver buckle.

Draco Malfoy. _Oh, how handsome you are,_ Harry admired. He knew Draco had left for France the year after all the trials were settled, but never knew for what. After the trials, the Malfoy's were able to stay because the threat of Azkaban was not over their heads as Harry had testified for both Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy was let off on six years of house arrest, which would end at the end of this year. He visits the two pure-bloods once a month for tea and to bring any noteworthy news. Harry was glad that Lucius had mellowed out after the first year of house arrest. It would've been difficult to keep visiting had Lucius kept throwing curses at him each time he was in the room. That first year, Harry visited every week. He owed his life to Narcissa, not just because she lied to Voldemort. She had given him the idea of masquerading as a girl rather than just hide.

During one of his visits the second year into Lucius' sentence, the Head of the house confessed he wished he could have given Draco a sister, but at the time they could only care for one child for various reasons. Narcissa knew of Harry's desire to be out of the public's eye and had told Lucius about it. When Lucius mentioned his want of a daughter so many years ago, Narcissa practically jumped at the chance to dress Harry up as a woman. That ordeal had not been successful. Although Harry was not the manliest of men, his broad shoulders and sharp jaw did not match the illusion of delicacy the rest of his slim body in a dress caused. A month later, Narcissa had shoved a vial of some bluish liquid into his hands and told him it would help him appear to be a woman. She instructed him to drink the potion, then imagine what he wanted to look like as he cast the spell that was paired with the potion. In this case, Lucius took it upon himself to cast the spell on the familiar guest. Harry felt the unfamiliar magic wash over him in a tingle. In the next second, Lucius had begun to laugh as Narcissa embraced him fiercely. He caught a flash of light blond hair in the corner of his eye that certainly was not Narcissa's, seeing as it curled at the end into a gentle ringlet. Harry remembered conjuring a mirror and looking at the reflection of what looked to be a young version of Narcissa. Harry received the list of ingredients and instructions along with the spell by owl the week after that eventful day. Ever since, Harry had used the potion any time he needed to be in the Wizarding world.

Harry smiled inwardly at the thought of visiting the elder Malfoys and telling them about the encounter he had with their Heir. He supposed he should owl before hand so as not to run into said heir. _Perhaps I should figure out what he does so I know when he wouldn't be home._

Harry conversed lightly with the Malfoy heir for the rest of the night. He found he worked at St. Mungo's as a Potion brewer. They worked from Sunday to Friday, 9 to 3. _This Sunday will do nicely, I'll owl when I get home. Mid-morning tea sounds lovely._

When Malfoy had questioned if Harry knew him and why he was speaking so freely if he had, Harry was reminded of the treatment of those who had formerly opposed the winning side. He laughed lightly and responded honestly. "You're Draco Malfoy, of course. I don't care about your past, only your present, and possibly your future. You don't seem like a blood-thirsty Death Eater; you certainly don't smell like one," he laughed. "I've had my fair share of dealings with Death Eaters; I know when people change and only want acceptance from peers." _And you certainly have changed, Draco Malfoy. _His smile faltered slightly when he caught a flash of familiar copper hair just above Malfoy's shoulder. "Oh, I spy someone that may comment on my being here, looking the way I am," he turned away, glad that the past hour and a half was well spent.

Before he could get any further to the Apparition points, a light touch on his shoulder surprised him, thinking it might have been the person he was trying to avoid. Seeing the blond once more, Harry raised a hand to say goodbye, but the soft, deep voice stopped him. "It was a pleasure to have someone to speak to so amicably. Could we do this again some time?" Harry saw no harm in it and glanced over the blond's shoulder once more before conjuring up a scarp of parchment and a quill. He scratched out the address to his bookstore in Muggle London he mentioned earlier that evening. Handing the parchment to Malfoy, Harry thought it'd be nice to get to know Draco Malfoy as a complete stranger. "Drop by whenever you want to talk." He turned away swiftly, making his way to the Apparition points, not waiting for a response. He apparated in to an alley across the street from 12 Grimmauld Place.

Opening the door of the house, Harry hoped this chance at friendship wouldn't blow up in his face

* * *

><p>I hope this chapter made sense; I didn't feel the need to repeat all the dialogue since it was in the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy it.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"How was last night, dear?"

Draco looked up at his mother as he set the now empty tea cup onto the table. "As expected, Mother. I haven't been in the country for quite some time; I have no other Ministry function to compare it to."

"You seemed a bit perplexed when you came home. Did something happen?" Narcissa said, eying her son.

He sighed. He knew his mother could see through whatever facade he put up. "I met someone interesting. I didn't catch her name, but she knew who I was and didn't plan on shunning me when I spoke to her. She wore such odd clothes and had a magical tattoo that didn't seem to be secluded to one place like most are." Draco finished, remembering the way those paw prints slid across her collarbone and jaw.

Narcissa hid a smile behind her tea cup when her son mentioned the young lady. She had a feeling she knew who it was that conversed so amicably with Draco last night. She would need to send an owl right away.

"I'll be late if I tell you all about that night. Goodbye, Mother, Father." Draco said, nodding his head to his Father when he walked into the dining room. He made his way over to the floo and stated his destination.

Narcissa greeted her husband and poured him a cup of tea, placing a cube of sugar on the saucer. "You'll never guess who our little dragon ran into last night at the Ministry."

Lucius gave her a questioning look as he stirred the tea lightly.

"Harry Potter. Oh, this is wonderful. Perhaps they'll have another chance at friendship."

"My dear, a friendship between our son and Harry Potter will not happen this way. After all, that boy isn't Harry Potter when Draco sees him. He is, what's the name he's using now?" Lucius paused, taking a sip of his tea. "Ah, yes. Lily Black. Taking the name of his mother and godfather. Does that boy have no imagination," the man drawled.

Narcissa frowned lightly. This would be a problem, especially when Draco found out the true identity of his new acquaintance. No one takes lying to very well, especially a Malfoy. _If_ he found out, that is. Narcissa was sure Harry had enough training of the past five years in disguise so as not to slip up just for Draco Malfoy. She straightened out her casual yet elegant robes. "I must owl our dear Harry right away. It would do no good to slip up around Draco just because they had a past together."

Lucius nodded. "Yes, but perhaps this is what the boy needed. He can't keep living in a disguise for the rest of his life. What of that boy of his?"

Narcissa agreed, nodding absently and called a house elf for some parchment and a quill. She called for the family eagle-owl as well and settled into her seat. The tawny bird landed on the window sill behind the Malfoy matriarch as she wrote.

* * *

><p>Harry looked into the full length mirror and cast the familiar spell over his body. He watched at his hair lengthened and lightly curled into loose springs. His face soften and shoulders shrunk. He looked down at his hands and saw how much more feminine they appeared; nails grew just a bit and his large knuckles shrunk to delicate nubs. He sighed, and picked up the brush floating beside him. Harry brushed out any knots and clipped the top half loosely behind his head, keeping most of his hair from his face. His fringe swished gently on his forehead covering his famous scar, but that wasn't enough. There are some things magic cannot cover. When it came to this, the Muggle way was the way to go. He plucked the bottle of concealer from the air and dabbed a bit on his finger. Smearing the flesh colored liquid over the lighting shape, he smiled, satisfied that the darker patch of flesh was covered up.<p>

He quickly dressed in a pair of dark loose jeans and a sleeveless shirt that clung softly to his new curves. Harry left his room with one more check in the mirror, and pocketed his wand. He moved down the stairs and met his godson at the table. "Morning, Teddy." The wizard poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed a piece of toast from the platter.

Teddy finished chewing and smiled at his godfather. "Morning, Harry." It didn't bother him that Harry looked like a woman most of the time. When Harry explained it to him, he understood that there were some things that Harry needed to do to keep their privacy and ensure their safety. He was only seven, but without Harry he would be living in an orphanage.

"Are you ready?" Harry voiced, putting his cup in the sink.

Teddy looked up and quickly finished his glass of milk, shoving the last piece of toast between his teeth. He nodded, handing Harry his dishes.

Harry spelled the dishes to wash themselves and handed Teddy his school uniform jacket. He shoved his feet into a pair of trainers near the door and pulled on the jacket he had grabbed from the nearby closet.

By the time Harry closed the door to their house, Teddy was standing on the last step, holding his small hand out for Harry to take as he was walked to school. Teddy's school was on the way to Harry's bookstore so the wizard would walk him to school everyday. A parent of one of Teddy's friends would drive him home so Harry had no need to worry about picking him up.

Teddy walked along side Harry, occasionally swinging their linked hands. He attended a Muggle school, but sometimes the new teachers would question who the lady was. They knew his parents had died and that he was living with his godfather, but they never met him before. Any conferences with the teachers, the lady would come. Harry told Teddy to make something up, but not too outrageous. Teddy settled on telling the adults that the lady was his half-sister. They accepted that excuse and when Teddy told Harry about it, Harry simply said, "At least they believed it."

Teddy let go of Harry's hand as they reached the school gates. He bent down and gave Teddy a kiss goodbye on the head and ruffled his sandy blonde hair. He watched the boy enter the school before moving on. Over the years, Harry helped Teddy control his Metamorphmagus ability so they he would look the same while he was in school. Occasionally he would slip up when he was in extreme emotional states. Harry would come to the rescue and _Obliviate_ the witnesses or weave some elaborate story to explain the change of hair or eye color. It was difficult the first couple of months but Harry helped the Metamorphmagus control his emotions a bit so those outbursts wouldn't happen. In return for just diligence during the day, Harry allowed the boy to change as much as he wanted when they were in the Wizarding world or when they were home.

Walking a few more blocks and turning the corner, Harry pulled out a key from his jacket pocket and opened the glass door of the shop. He spelled the all the workings of the shop on and opened the windows that bordered the high ceilings.

Not a minute after Harry settled against the counter with a book did a fierce looking eagle-owl land in front of him, holding out a leg for Harry to untie the rolled up parchment. He reached out and took the missive before leaning down to grab a handful of owl treats below the counter. Harry placed the treats on the hard surface as he unrolled the parchment and scanned the familiar elegant script.

_Harry,_

_Hello, my dear. I trust that you are well. I have recently come across some interesting news regarding my son and you. I hope that you would be willing to speak with me soon. Let me know; Viper will wait for your response. _

_Narcissa _

Harry looked up at the bird and noticed it was hopping along the counter top. He reached over to the side and grabbed a pen and some blank paper. He wrote in his neatest script, explaining he was meant to owl the female Malfoy the night before but had been caught up in tending to his godson. He ended the missive with simply stating he would be coming by for mid-morning tea on Sunday as per his usual visits to Malfoy Manor. Harry tied the paper to the owl before ruffling his feathers lightly, signaling he could leave. He leaned over the counter to continue reading and waiting for customers to enter his shop.

* * *

><p>Narcissa smiled in approval as she read Harry's response. Harry's handwriting had come a long way from his messy scratches when they first met. She remembered forcing Harry to write letters over and over until his script was neat and clean. "As a young lady's should be," she remembered saying.<p>

The tall woman walked to her husband's study and told him the news before heading out to the library. Perhaps she would drop by and surprise the young man. _It'd be young woman if I did come into his shop,_ she snickered uncharacteristically. Making up her mind, Narcissa made her way just outside the wards and apparated to the alley half a block from the bright little shop.

* * *

><p>Harry blew softly up at his fringe and looked up at the sound of tinkling bells filled his ears, signifying the presence of another customer. His eyebrows drew up in surprise when he spotted the woman before him. He rounded the side of the counter, embracing the tall blonde woman. "I thought we were meeting on Sunday."<p>

Narcissa smiled gently, hugging back the slim, soft body. It was so much more different than Harry's natural form. She had only seen him as a woman a handful of times. Each time, his looks would change. He always had the same green eyes of his mother but hair length, color, style of dress, they were different each time. She must say, this version was the best, even though the first form of Harry as a young Narcissa Malfoy was amusing. She was highly amused when she found out Harry had used that appearance for the first seven months after receiving the potion.

"I just wanted to see how my future daughter-in-law was doing," she laughed.

Harry blanched and said quietly. "No matter how pretty I look at the moment, I doubt your son would want to marry me when he finds out I have the same bits he does," he straightened and brushed imaginary dust from Narcissa's sleeves. "But you did give birth to this," he giggled, twirled delicately and bowed, giving off a soft laughter as Narcissa smiled.

"Nonsense, my dear. I have only given you the materials to create something of your own. After all," Narcissa brushed the dark hair that fell in front of Harry's eyes. "this appearance resembles you the most." She pulled a shrunken box of chocolate and a book from her pocket and handed them to the gently smiling wizard after she restored them to their original size. "I've only come for a brief visit and to remind you to be cautious. Don't let your mask slip unless you're willing to pay the price, Harry. I hope you enjoy my gifts. I must be on my way." She smiled, kissing Harry on the cheek. She moved to leave the store but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Thank you. For everything, Narcissa. You don't know how much you do for me means. I don't know what I'd do without you." Harry said, smiling brightly at the woman. "And Lucius, I suppose," he added after a moment of thought.

Narcissa laughed lightly. "You, my dear, would be holed up in your house all alone, making your own life miserable. You're welcome," she waved over her shoulder, giving Harry a look that meant she knew. She knew how much she meant to Harry and the feeling was mutual.

* * *

><p>Narcissa apparated back to the Manor once she was out of sight. Moving to the gardens, she wondered how nice it would be if Harry would truly become a Malfoy, part of her family. But perhaps she was getting ahead of herself.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Draco woke the next morning, showered, and dressed casually before heading down a couple flights of stairs to reach the bright room his mother insisted having breakfast in. The man opened the glass doors, kissed his mother on the cheek and murmured a good morning to his father across the table. He fixed himself a cup of tea and ate the blueberry scone a house elf placed before him.

Work had been uneventful the day before and he was glad to have the day off. Before he left work, Ginny had reminded him to meet her in front of St. Mungo's at 10. Looking over at the grandfather clock in the corner, Draco found he had about an hour to spare.

He contemplated getting a gift for the woman. _But I hardly know her. I suppose all women love chocolate and she said she had a dragon. Perhaps some chocolate and dragon treats? Where does one buy dragon treats?_ Draco asked his father if he knew any where that may sell dragon treats. His father had looked at him like he'd had a lapse in his sanity. Well, asking about dragons seemingly randomly doesn't help. Nonetheless, Lucius directed his son to a shop in Knockturn Alley. Grabbing a box of chocolates he had brought from France, Draco bid his parents good day and made his way to the fireplace. He stated his destination and disappeared in a flash of green flame.

* * *

><p>Draco arrived at St. Mungo's right on time. He had taken a walk at a nearby park to pass the time after an excruciatingly creepy session with the shop owner at Knockturn Alley. He fingered the shrunken container of dragon treats in his pocket and cast a quick <em>Tempus<em> charm just as Ginny apparated a couple feet from the entrance of the hospital. "Right on time, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked closer to the blond. "Let's just go, Malfoy. Here are the coordinates of the apparition point. We'll only have to walk about a block or so before reaching the store. Do you have the address?"

Draco eyed the red headed woman. "Of course," he replied shortly and promptly turned on his heel, disapparating with a soft pop.

Ginny huffed and turned on the spot, disapparating behind the man. By the time she had arrived, Draco was already standing at the edge of the alley, staring expectantly at the woman. Ginny sighed, thinking perhaps visiting a potential old friend with Malfoy was a bad idea. The pair walked half a block before spotting a bookstore among the many houses and apartment complexes in the area. They double checked the address before entering the store. The large display windows on either side of the glass door gave the small shop a very open feel to it. A good thing, considering the amount of full shelves blocking out light to certain areas, that were to be expected in the shop.

Pushing open the heavy glass door, the pair heard the tinkling of bells above them, announcing their presence. They stepped in, letting the door close behind them as they took in the magical bookstore. "I'll be with you in a short moment. Feel free to look around," a melodic voice called softly from an open door behind the counter.

And look around they did. Several snitches flitted about above their heads, occasionally pausing in front of the former Seeker as if coaxing him to reach out and capture the magical objects. None of the snitches seemed to be the traditional golden color but instead opted for silver, and metallic reds, greens, and blues. Ginny watched as one of the customers in an adjacent aisle beckoned for a snitch close to her. The elderly witch murmured to the ball before following it to a different aisle. She reached up to the book the snitch flitted directly in front of and nodded her thanks to the silver object. Ginny was impressed; it seemed that the snitches were charmed to help the customers around the store.

"Sorry for the wait. Welcome to The Snitch. How may I help you?" The voice sounded again, gradually becoming less muffled as figure made her way to the counter.

* * *

><p>Harry had just climbed up a ladder to retrieve an order for a customer when he hear the telltale sound of bells indicating more customers. He called out to the customers to look around before reaching up to grab the package just above the ladder's reach. He realized he could have gotten the box down with magic, but manual labor made running this shop just a bit more interesting.<p>

The wizard jumped off the ladder when he reached the last two steps and began welcoming his patrons even before he reached the counter. Harry placed the box off to the side, puffing air up at his fringe and shaking his head lightly. He looked up in alarm as he caught sight of flaming red hair that was too familiar to be comforting. So Ginny had finally tracked him down and she wasn't alone it seemed. Harry took in the sight of the tall blond behind his old friend. He smiled lightly and greeted the man. "Oh, hello, Mr. Malfoy. A pleasure to see you again. I didn't think it'd be so soon."

Said blond stepped forward and placed an odd container on the counter along side a box of Belgian chocolates. "Gifts, in apology for arriving unannounced," he spoke smoothly. Harry thanked him and took a hold of the oddly shaped container. "Dragon treats," he explained. "I remember you mentioned having a dragon at your shop."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah," he turned to the door behind him, stuck two fingers between his lips and whistled loudly. A moment later a silvery blur came bounding down the stairs and pounced on the blond.

Draco staggered back slightly before steadying himself and looking up at the creature with surprise in his eyes. He vaguely heard his co-worker gasp beside him at the small creature flew about lazily above their heads.

Harry tapped the hard counter with two fingers, smiling in satisfaction as the flying reptile flew over and sat on his haunches staring up at the blond in curiosity. The dragon beat his small wings a few times before settling down and curled up next to Harry's hand. "His name is Orion. Figured you'd like to meet the creature you're giving presents to," he laughed lightly.

The entire time Harry was conversing lightly with the blond, he felt the piercing gaze of Ginny on him. He figured he could speak with her privately later. He had a feeling she knew who he really was behind his almost airtight disguise. It would do him no good if the youngest Weasley outed him in front of Draco Malfoy.

"He's," Draco paused. "interesting. I've never seen one so small. I've seen a few during the last Tri-Wizard Tournament, but those weren't nearly as calm as yours." He said, watching the small animal curl up and tried to compare it to his memories of the vicious animals he saw years back, like that Hungarian Horntail Potter had battled.

Harry smiled. "He's small now but in a couple years he'll be full grown and I'll have to give him back to the dragon reserves in Romania," he said, looking at Ginny from the corner of his eye. "He's an Antipodean Opaleye; he isn't that aggressive unless provoked." He picked up the gifts and placed them under the counter. "Well, thank you for the gifts. I'm sure that wasn't the only reason you've come to visit me, and bring a guest, no less."

Draco smirked at the young brunette. "Right to the point, then? It seems that I was not able to catch your name the other night. You had left in such a hurry, it reminded me of a Muggle fairytale about a woman running off as the clock struck twelve."

Harry was a bit surprised at the comparison to Cinderella but didn't let it show. Instead, he apologized for the hurried departure and lack of proper introduction to the blond. "You may call me Lily. Lily Black," he smiled.

Draco nodded and stuck out his hand. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Ms. Black." He took the brunette's hand when it was outstretched and gave the small white knuckles a touch of his lips.

Harry couldn't help but stare and let a slight shiver make its way down his back as the blond kissed the back of his hand. He quickly regained his composure and responded in a quiet voice. "Likewise, Mr. Malfoy. And please, Lily is just fine."

"As is Draco. How rude of me, I hadn't introduced my companion. This," he gestured to Ginny. "Is my co-worker, Ginerva Weasley. She insisted on coming with me today for reasons I still do not know."

Ginny turned to the other woman, not sure what to expect. "Hello, you can just call me Ginny." She stuck out her hand for the other to shake, gripping a bit too tightly when Harry had made contact. "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is a lovely shop you have."

Harry winced inwardly. "Why, thank you," he replied with a smile, releasing the redhead's hand.

Draco directed his attention back to the dark haired woman and voiced his want to meet with her again, perhaps have lunch together to get to know each other better.

Harry nodded, "When are you free? I run the shop Monday to Friday so I'm free on weekends most of the time."

"How does next Saturday sound?" Draco inquired, no clue as to where he would take the young lady.

"Perfect. There's a little restaurant down the street I've been dying to try. If it's alright with you, we can meet in front of the shop around 11 or so? I don't live far so it's no problem for me, but I'm assuming you may not live in the area."

Draco shook his head. "Magic, my dear Lily, there's no need to worry about that. I'll see you next Saturday. I have some errands to run so I will be on my way." He waved to the two woman and made his way to the apparition point, promptly apparating home to finish some left over reports.

* * *

><p>Ginny whipped around fiercely as soon as Draco left the building. "What the hell are you doing, Harry," she hissed quietly, rounding the corner to stand in the brunette's personal space. Even as a woman Harry was taller. He was tall enough for Ginny to have to look up at those brilliant green eyes she adored in her school days.<p>

"I have no idea what you mean, Gin." Harry spoke, turning away from the girl and ushering the small dragon back up the stairs he came down moments before.

"You know what I mean! How are you doing it anyway? I can't sense any glamours and I'm assuming you haven't polyjuiced. I mean, you look exactly like the girl version of, well, you!"

Harry turned back. "It's a potion Narcissa looked up for me. She found it in one of the books in her library. It allows me to physically change my appearance with a spell."

"Aren't you afraid you'll revert back once the potion or the spell wears off ? Or that your spell won't hold up if you get knocked out for some reason?" She looked at him curiously, brushing off the fact that he had called the Malfoy Matriarch by her given name so casually.

Long, dark hair tousled lightly as Harry shook his head. "No, the spell works stays until until I say the counter spell and the potion stays in my system for three months at a time. There's nothing to worry about, Ginny. I'm safe in this disguise and happily running a bookstore."

"But what if someone finds out? What if _Malfoy _finds out?"

"He won't find out unless I want him to. Unless, of course, someone let's it slip. Then, and only then, will I deal with it. Right now, I'm just trying to be friends with the git. He doesn't know who I really am and he doesn't seem that bad. Besides only Luna, Narcissa, and Lucius know, and now you. How did you find out anyway?"

Ginny shrugged. "I was looking at the records when you came to the ministry. _Harry Potter_ just happened to appear in the book when a brunette with green eyes stepped from the floo network. Normally, no one looks at the logs, but I wanted to find you. I wanted to confirm you were coming to the wedding."

"Yes, of course," he said, waving dismissively. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I still can't believe you married a squib. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I always imagined you'd marry one of the many Quidditch stars you work with," he laughed.

Ginny sighed happily. "Yes, but at least he's not a Muggle. I have a feeling explaining everything about the magical world would be a major pain," she finished with a small frown.

"Well, I should get back to work. Drop by whenever, Gin, but you can't tell anybody. I swear! Not even Ron and Hermione. Too many people already know," he sighed.

Ginny nodded, moving to leave the shop when she paused with a hand holding the door open. She turned back to the wizard. "Be careful, _Lily_, don't slip up because this is Malfoy you're playing fire with. Don't get burned." With that she exited the shop.

* * *

><p>Harry stared at the closed door for a moment before ringing up the next customer. That was the second time someone warned him about slipping up around Malfoy. It wasn't like he was ever going to find out, right?<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Harry woke the next morning slightly anxious for visiting the Malfoys later that morning. He quickly dressed in a crisp black button up shirt and a pair of straight legged dark jeans. He carefully tucked in the ends of his shirt and grabbed a white military styled belt from his dresser.

The dark haired wizard moved into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom and turned the faucet until he felt warm water under the nozzle. He splashed the water on his face and ran a brush through his hair. He sighed, his hair would never be tameable unless it was long and flowing. Checking his appearance once more in the mirror, Harry was glad he had gotten his sight fixed when he began disguising himself. His brilliant green eyes shone even brighter without the hindrance of glass and steel frames.

Harry walked across the hall to wake up his godson, knowing Luna would be coming through his floo any minute to pick up Teddy. Harry had owled the woman the night before, apologizing for the last minute request of watching Teddy for a couple hours while he visited Narcissa and Lucius. Cutting an apple for Teddy's breakfast, Harry heard the floo roar to life just as Teddy jumped off the last step with a backpack in his arms. He handed the resealable bag of apple slices to Teddy and kissed Luna on the cheek as she stepped into the kitchen area.

"Hello, Harry. It's good to see you again. I do love what you've done to your ear. I had the impression it was only part of your disguise."

Harry ran his fingers across the seven small rings along the side of his ear. "Body marks don't disappear with the spell. I've had a piercing for each time I changed my appearance. Although, I'm not sure I can fit another without having my ear fall apart," he joked.

Luna nodded. "It is lovely, I must say. That snitch you had on the other night was especially beautiful."

"That's the only one I have other than these smaller rings. I don't change them out much often."

"Oh, would you like one of my dirigible plums? They would be lovely with your pale complexion. Plus, father says you will become wiser with these." She took off one of her earrings, holding it out for the wizard to take.

"That'd be wonderful, Luna, but I couldn't let you walk around with only the one on your ears." He pulled his wand from his sleeve and duplicated the radish still be held in the pale woman's thin fingers. He took the earring and placed it on the counter, returning his wand to it's original spot. "There, perfect, since I only need the one," he smiled and ruffled Teddy's bright green hair. "Be good," he said. Teddy nodded and took Luna's hand after they bid their goodbyes. The pair stepped through the fireplace once more, leaving Harry to sip at his lukewarm coffee.

The grandfather clock chimed moments later, indicating it was now 11 o'clock. Harry grabbed a package from the coffee table before grabbing a pinch of floo powder and shouted, "Malfoy Manor."

* * *

><p>He watched several fireplaces zoom by him before landing in the parlour of Malfoy Manor. He stepped out unsteadily from the fireplace, nearly falling over before he caught a hold of his balance. Harry spelled away any residue soot from his body and made his way over to the glass paned doors to his left.<p>

He stepped onto the smooth stone path, maneuvering carefully around a low wall of Spiky Bushes. Spotting the two blondes sitting at a round stone table facing away from him, Harry quickly made his presence known by stepping into their view.

"Good Morning, Lucius, Narcissa." Harry bowed his head at each of his elders and took his place at the table. "I've brought you something from the new shipment I received yesterday." He handed the package to the fair haired wizard, receiving a thanks, and poured the dark coloured liquid into his tea cup. He picked up a cube of sugar with the small tongs and released it gently into the liquid, stirring his tea with idle turns of his wrist. He picked up another cube of sugar and set it on his saucer as he turned to the Malfoys.

"I've recently come across news that you've been seeing my son." Lucius said after a bout of comfortable silence.

Harry flushed slightly and nearly choked on his tea at the implications of the words Lucius chose to use. "I'm not, uhm, _seeing_ him, sir. I merely met him again at the Ministry function a few days ago. He came by my shop the other day and gave me treats for my dragon. I didn't even know there _were_ places to buy such things."

Lucius smirked to himself behind his cup, finally understanding his son's reason for asking about those items a couple days ago.

"And are you going to meet with him again?" Narcissa spoke up after sipping at her tea.

"Yes, next weekend. Wants to get to know me better, he said. I wouldn't mind becoming friends of sorts. We certainly didn't get the chance when we were boys."

"Yes, but, to his knowledge, the one Draco is befriending is not Harry Potter; it will be Lily Black." Her eyebrows creased lightly, paraphrasing her husband.

Harry sighed. "I know, but he won't ever know it's me. I feel that it's better that he doesn't. None of the past prejudices, you know?" He picked up the sugar cube on his saucer, placed it between his teeth and sucked lightly at it.

"You realize he will find out. Unless you lie to him, of course. However, I'm sure you must have a feeling about how Draco feels about dishonesty," Lucius said, eying the dark haired wizard before him.

"He won't find out. I'm not going to lie to him, just not mention certain things." Harry huffed, not liking the way everyone kept discouraging his new friendship.

"And if he asks about your childhood? Your personal life? What then?" The elder Malfoy prodded.

"He doesn't know me well enough to draw conclusions if there are similarities between myself and _Lily Black_." He said, trying to establish that there was a difference between himself and his fictional female persona.

"You'd be surprised." Narcissa spoke with an odd tone to her quiet voice.

"What?" Draco couldn't possibly know much about Harry other than what the rest of the Wizarding world knew.

"I'm just saying, Harry, you never know what to expect, especially from Draco." Narcissa smirked.

Harry knew instantly where Draco had gotten his own smirk from. It bore a resemblance to his father's but it was uncanny compared to his mother's. It scared Harry, just a bit. He sighed quietly and picked up another sugar cube to suck on, receiving a pointed look from Lucius. He mentally stuck his tongue out at the man, knowing if he was caught doing so in reality, it would be temporarily severed and accompanied by a lecture of proper etiquette from Lucius. He was already on the edge with his odd habit of eating the sugar cubes.

"I promise to be careful. There's no reason for me to reveal anything to him that may allude to my true identity," he paused looking at the parents. "Besides, don't you feel guilty not telling your only son is befriending his school rival in disguise?"

"Don't turn this on us, young man. We're not lying to Draco. We're simply not telling him unless he asks. Can you honestly tell me you would imagine him asking us what your true identity is? There would be no reason to. As far as he knows, Lily Black has no connections to us whatsoever." Lucius glared.

"Can't that apply to my case? I simply won't tell him anything revealing unless he asks. And if he does, I will skillfully avoid the question like you two have expertly taught me." Harry grinned.

"Flattery will get you no where, Potter."

Harry sighed and downed the rest of his cooling tea. The trio of wizards sat in comfortable silence for a short while before Harry opened and closed his mouth, searching for the right words to say. "Just have some faith in me, yeah? I don't intend to hurt anyone, least of all your son. I will admit I have had a sort of attraction to him, but I don't plan to pursue it. I don't want to complicate things. It's," he paused, thinking of the appropriate word to describe how he felt about just being friends with Draco while simultaneous lying to him. "comfortable. It's comfortable," he repeated, looking pensively into his empty cup, trying to reassure himself everything would be fine.

He knew admitting to himself that he was lying was not a good thing. He knew from the beginning he was heading into something that could potentially hurt himself, or worse, Draco. He knew, but he had to try.

Lucius' eyes bore into the young man before him. "Perhaps this is a good thing. He will find out and then you will be forced to confront him, if you don't want to lose him, that is. Perhaps, then, Harry Potter will stop hiding from the world. You realize you cannot continue parading around as a woman for the rest of your life. Take a hold of the public; control them instead of cowering under their gazes of admiration and superficial love."

Harry took in the words, rolling them over in him mind. He didn't look up at the two, opting for speaking to his hands in his lap rather than the two he knew cared deeply for him. "Maybe. If there's something worth anchoring me back into the public's eye, then yes. I'll stop hiding."

* * *

><p>The clock inside the manor chimed, causing a house elf to pop in next to Harry. "Will Master Harry be staying for lunch?"<p>

Lucius nodded to the elf, dismissing him after telling him to place the package he received from Harry in the Library.

After another half-hour of meaningless chatter about Harry's shop, Narcissa's party planning, and Lucius's potion brewing, the same house elf popped back next to the dark haired wizard. "Will Masters and Mistress be taking lunch here?"

Narcissa brushed her long blond hair behind her shoulder and gave an affirmative response. "It's nice out today," she reasoned.

Harry agreed when something occurred to the man. "Why do your house elves refer to me as Master? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't I be called Mister? I don't live here, let alone am a master of your house." He was truly perplexed.

Lucius made a non-committal sound, levitating the dish of sugar cubes out of Harry's reach when he saw the other man was reaching for yet another sugar cube.

Narcissa altogether vanished the sugar dish and spoke solemnly. "It must have been because you looked after us for that first year or so and you continued to visit on a regular basis. Perhaps they thought you were Draco's fiance," she smiled as a fierce blush consumed Harry's face, ears and neck. "They _do_ know who you are and it wouldn't be uncommon. Most pure-bloods mainly marry for power. Seeing as you are one of the most powerful wizards and our family is one of the strongest names, it makes sense to them. The Wizarding world does not frown upon homosexual couples as the Muggle world does at times."

Lucius nodded, placing a hand over his wife's. "One of the elves had a slip of tongue after you had departed one day. We did not correct them since it did no harm. That was, three almost four years ago, I believe."

Harry nodded, accepting the explanation. He watched idly as the tea settings were cleared away a moment later, replaced by steaming plates of food. They tucked in, occasionally commenting about something or other. When all the dishes were cleared once more, Harry stood and walked with the couple back into the main house.

* * *

><p>"I really wish you would let me cook for you again, like I did so many years ago," he said stretching the stiff muscles in his back from sitting too long. "I miss cooking for someone else other than myself and Teddy."<p>

Lucius laughed, "Yes, well, perhaps we will take you up on that offer in the future."

Harry smiled in turn, moving towards the fireplace. He stood at the hearth and blew a puff of air at his fringe. "I felt like this was more of an interrogation than simply having tea and lunch. Like being questioned by the parents of a girl I plan to court. I must say it's a bit unnerving."

Narcissa patted Harry on the shoulder affectionately. "Oh, Harry, you should know, Malfoys are never one to submit. Draco is _definitely_ not going to be the girl in your relationship."

"That wasn't the point," Harry frowned, noticing the way Narcissa stated the last of her sentence. "You say that as if it's a fact."

"It is." Lucius stated, daring the much younger man to challenge him.

"I meant the part about us being in a relationship." Harry fidgeted under the intense combined gazes of Lucius and Narcissa, picking up floo powder.

"Oh, that is, too." _At least it will be if I have my way. _Narcissa smiled, as Harry's baffled and embarrassed features disappeared in a flurry of green flames.

* * *

><p>This chapter is just a bit longer, but it's mostly dialogue. Happy reading~<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the late...ish update. It's unbearably hot for me where I live. Not exactly...normal weather. I've just been so lazy, sitting around, sweating my ass off while reading other fanfics. Haha. Well, enjoy as best you can~ Happy reading.

* * *

><p>A week at a highly explosive potions lab was nothing compared to the excitement Draco felt about his meeting with Lily later that day. There was something about that woman he just couldn't place his finger on. She was so familiar, yet Draco knew he had never met anyone so interesting; he would have remembered.<p>

The blond conversed lightly with his mother at the breakfast table, discussing events that happened at work or what they each planned to do for the day. He told his mother of his plans to visit Lily. She hadn't commented on it, which was odd. Usually, the elder Malfoy would question him incessantly, hinting at marriage, seeing as he wasn't getting any younger. Draco brushed it off.

Draco finished reading the paper and realized he still had about an hour before meeting with Lily Black. He decided to head over to the residential neighborhood early, perhaps scope around and be familiar with his surroundings. He bid his mother good bye and made his way to The Snitch.

Draco idly wondered if the girl had an unhealthy obsession with Quidditch, or just Seekers for that matter. He shrugged it off as the bookstore came to view; it was open. Lily had said she was free today and it didn't look like she had any employees other than those charmed snitches. The blond opened the door and looked curiously at the counter.

There, the woman was hunched over sipping at a mug, watching as the snitches flitted excitedly above her head. At the sound of the door opening, she placed her mug down and opened her mouth to greet him. When she spotted him, Lily closed her mouth into a small smile.

"It's not time for us to meet yet, is it?" She looked around, trying to find a clock.

Draco shook his head. "No, I was just exploring when I found you were open. I thought you said you were free today. We can reschedule if you're busy," he said, slightly disappointed if the girl was to call off their lunch. To his delight, Lily shook her head, bringing the mug back up to her pink lips.

"I don't run the store on weekends; a friend does. He has an urgent errand to run so I'm covering for now."

Draco was relieved, their plans wouldn't be foiled. He was about to suggest that he came back later if she was busy, but the girl had already conjured a stool against the wall behind her.

She opened her mouth to speak but a distant crash interrupted. Lily motioned for Draco to take the seat as she moved into the back room, to check if everything was in its place, he assumed. Draco took off his cloak, draping it over his knees as he sat on the high stool. Just as he was settled, Lily came back, offering tea. Draco declined politely.

He took the opportunity to take in how the mystery woman was dressed today. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, exposing the nape of her neck at which her magical tattoo chose to rest. The loose ringlets bobbed slightly when she moved, brushing against the dark green, almost black, tank top. White pants covered her thin legs, bunching up at her knees and ankles. It seemed she preferred high topped trainers than high heeled sandals, unlike most woman, but then again, she never seemed like most woman, even from the beginning. Draco approved of her already.

A few minutes into Draco's full observation of the shop, a shout came from the same direction of the crash moments before.

"Hey, Sneak?" A deep male voice sounded.

Lily didn't seem to be bothered by it and opened the door behind her, leading to what looked to be a storage room and a set of steep stone steps. "What?" She responded, turning back to the paper in her hands.

"Where are my keys?" The voice seemed frustrated.

Lily put down the paper, lifting various items from the counter before spotting a ring of keys and a black round object. "Down here," she shouted back. She picked up the ring of keys and placed them next to her mug.

A tall figure came stumbling down the steps, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth as he tugged on his jacket. He had short spiky red hair and a tattoo of a snake around his neck. The snake blinked and continued to curl around the tanned neck. The red hair was nothing like the Weasleys' shade. It was unnaturally red, like it was dyed.

The man shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth and kissed Lily's cheek. He grabbed the keys with a clatter, and took a swig of whatever was in Lily's mug. Apparently, it was not to his tastes and he grimaced, muttering something that sounded like "fuckin' sweet tooth."

Draco heard Lily huff and say in an exasperated tone, "Goodbye, Ryder." The man rounded the corner of the counter and rushed out the door with a shout of, "Bye, Babe!"

Draco heard a scratching sound on the floor and found the dragon, Orion, from the other day, whining at the man. He watched at Lily ushered the dragon back up the stairs before questioning her.

"Boyfriend?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Lily looked confused for a moment before chuckling lowly. "That was Claude Ryder, my landlord and the one who runs the shop on weekends. He lives upstairs. He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh? Why'd he call you babe?" He continued, forcing himself not to believe he was the slightest bit jealous.

The soft melodic laughter came again. "Jealous?" She teased, as if reading Draco's subconscious perfectly.

"Merely curious," he reasoned. "Although, I do wonder why someone who was just friends with a beautiful woman like yourself would call you such a term of endearment if he wasn't somehow romantically involved with you."

Lily smiled brightly, slinging a friendly arm over his shoulders. "He was talking to Orion. He'll be back soon," she joked. "No worries, no one's taking me from your grasps. I couldn't possibly run from such a handsome bloke such as yourself."

Draco looked at her from the corner of his eye, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I should hope not, I'm not seducing you just to be thrown to the side for a bloke who has more love for a dragon than a woman," he played along, smirking at the green-eyed beauty. He reached a hand up and wiped gently at her cheek. Crumbs from the other man's kiss had lingered on her cheek. Steely grey eyes met with brilliant shining emeralds. Lily flushed lightly and muttered a thanks.

A light clearing of throat startled the two, causing Lily to release Draco and move to ring up one of the few customers. After a half-hour of idle chatter and playful flirtations, the man, Ryder came bursting through the door, levitating two large boxes behind him.

"Alright, new shipment from that Muggle company. Go sign for it and then you can go on your little date." Ryder said, walking straight into the storage room.

Lily rolled her eyes and chucked a wad of paper at the back of his head. She grabbed her coat from a hook behind the door and motioned for Draco to walk out before her.

Draco held the door open as Lily pulled on her jacket. She thanked him and walked toward the Muggle standing against a large metal object with wheels. The Muggle held out a board to Lily as she took out a quill and signed.

"How does he not notice that people are levitating items around him? And that you signed with a quill, not one of those Muggle pens?" Draco questioned, allowing the woman to link their arms as they walked down the street.

"Didn't I tell you? I placed a modified Disillusionment Charm around and in my shop so that people who don't know magic exists, can't see it. It works like a charm," she snickered at her own bad pun.

Draco rolled his eyes as they made their way to the restaurant Lily wanted to try. He was surprised with himself at how comfortable he felt with the woman. He hadn't had much contact with many people since the war. Sure he had lovers while in France, but never a true friend. Draco was the only apprentice under his Potions Master so there was no one to work or converse with other than that old man. It was nice being so amicable with someone.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts when Lily stopped in the middle of the street. He looked at her briefly before turning to the side and spotting the door to a restaurant. If going by the way her eyes widened in excitement, it must have been the one she wanted to try. He opened the door and swept his arm in front of him in a dramatic manner.

"My princess, your meal awaits," he smirked.

Lily grinned, curtsying, pulling at the imaginary hems of a skirt. "Thank you, my prince." She laughed, walking to the maitre d' and asking for a table for two.

The two made their way over to a table by the window, Lily bouncing into a booth against the wall as Draco took the cushioned wooden chair across from her.

"So," Draco began. "You know who I am, but I know almost nothing about you."

"What's there to know?" Lily responded, fingering the menu in front of her. A waiter came, took their orders and swiftly came back with a glass of water for them both.

"Everything, I suppose. Your childhood, schooling, hobbies, family. Those sorts of things."

"Hmm, well, how about you ask me questions and I ask to the best of my ability, then I ask you questions? Sound good?" She smiled.

Draco nodded slightly. "Start off small, yeah? Favorite color?"

"Blue, very light blue. Yours?"

"White, it's clean and elegant. Favorite Quidditch team? I'm assuming you like Quidditch what with all the snitches floating around your shop."

Lily laughed. "Don't have one. I do, however, love watching Viktor Krum play. He's brilliant on a broom. I was able to train with him on his off seasons. It's exhilarating. I hadn't flown like that since my school days. You fancy any team out there, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Not so much. Haven't had time to watch any matches lately. Busy with work and what not. So you played for your school team? Durmstrang? Since you know Viktor Krum so well you could personally train with him," he smirked.

"Nope, guess again. I only know Viktor because he was interested in a friend of mine briefly, then asked me to try for our national Quidditch team so we could play against each other. I never got the chance. There were too many things going on after the war. I still train with him on off seasons, to keep up my skills of course. He actually introduced me to Ryder."

"Oh? How does he know your landlord?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"They're lovers. Ryder lives here on off season, only goes back when Viktor's playing. In a couple months, they'll be back together and Ryder can stop griping to me about how lonely and unwanted he feels," she huffed. She turned to the waiter and thanked him as he set their food in front of them.

"You never told me where you went to school," Draco said, cutting into his lasagna. It was a lovely Italian restaurant. Hopefully, the food would be just as good at the atmosphere.

"You have to guess, but I'll tell you I studied in Europe so none of that Salem Institute business." Lily spoke. She twirled the pasta on her fork before placing it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully, most likely evaluating the quality of the food like Draco had been earlier. Apparently, it was up to her standards as she hummed quietly, then smiling brightly up at him.

"Hogwarts?" He was answered with a nod as the woman took a gulp of water after she accidentally bit into a clove of garlic.

"What house? And year if you don't mind me asking." Draco was curious, perhaps he could recall this woman, knowing exactly where he's seen her before. It would help answer the question as to why she seemed so familiar.

Lily shook her head. "I don't mind. I was in the same year as you. I remember what a colossal git you were in school," she laughed. "You're much different from what I remember, but then again, we've all grown up and things change."

Draco nodded, thinking about the changes he'd made to his personality over the years, especially while in France. "Will you tell me what house you were in?"

"Guess. It's no fun if I just out right tell you. No hints this time. Figure it out from how I am, my personality, traits you can see."

"I hardly know you," he began. "But I'll try. You," he paused thinking. "You keep a dragon in your store, willingly talked to a known ex-death eater, you seem to care very much about your friends, and I remember seeing you with Luna Lovegood at the Ministry." Draco wiped delicately at his mouth. "You're either a Gryffindor or a really stupid Hufflepuff." He looked expectantly at the woman.

Lily smiled brightly. "I'm not a Hufflepuff," she assured him.

"Gryffindor it is. I'm surprised. I never liked the Gryffindors in my year, or any at all for that matter. However, you seem like a decent person." He laughed. "My first friend in a while and it's a Gryffindor."

Lily smirked. "If it's any consolation, I was almost put into Slytherin." They had finished their meals and were now just talking over glasses of water.

"Really? How is that possible?"

"All things are possible, my dear Draco," she smirk widened. "It just happened that I have the traits of a cunning snake as well as a warrior lion." She laughed.

The two paid for their meal and made their way out of the restaurant. "Walk with me," Lily said before Draco could say goodbye. "A walk after a meal is always nice. There's a little park a bit further down the street, we can learn more about each other. I hardly think all you wanted to know was said back there," she gestured to the building they recently exited.

Draco mentally shrugged. What could he lose in taking a walk with the woman? The pair talked on their way to the park, learning different things about each other. Draco found that Lily doesn't like to talk about the war, which was perfectly fine with Draco. He also learned that she didn't particularly like being told what she can or cannot do.

As they sat on a bench, Draco noticed something shimmering lightly on the back of her hand. When asked about it, Lily said, "An incident occurred and it was my punishment." The old scars on her hand faintly read: _I must not tell lies. _She didn't say much more of the subject so Draco let it drop.

Draco told her about this childhood. There wasn't much to tell. It was content. He told her how he broke his arm when he was 7 because he decided jumping off the banister in his house was a good idea. He told her of the balls and parties he was forced to attend to meet potential brides-to-be.

In turn, Lily told about the abuse she received while living with her relatives. Her parents had died and she was left with Muggles who hated magic and anything to do with it. She didn't reveal too much, but only stated she didn't know about magic until her eleventh birthday. It was depressing, but she said she was grateful for the treatment now, which was a bit strange to be saying. However, Lily said it made her who she was today, able to withstand all types of verbal abuse and some physical. Draco could see she was strong and could easily take care of herself.

After being informed of her relatives, Draco decided not to push about any family she might have now.

After a half hour of talking, Lily decided it was time to go so she led Draco to a nearby apparition point and bid her goodbyes as Draco disapparated.

Draco walked into the Manor with a content quirk on his lips, not quite a smile, but something to show he was satisfied with his day. Lily had basically told him her whole life's story, yet he still didn't know _who_ she was.

That night, Draco marched over to the window sill, conjuring parchment and a quill, then summoning his owl. He wrote to the woman, requesting a weekly get together if it wasn't too much trouble for her. He instructed the owl to wait for her reply.

A few minutes later, the owl came soaring through the window and perched on the arm of the settee Draco was lounging on. Lily had replied with an affirmative response. Draco smiled secretively. It was truly amazing to connect with someone on a personal level once more. Even in school, he hadn't been very close to many. There was Pansy and Blaise, and occasionally Theo, but they were all busy nowadays. Pansy and Blaise are still on their honeymoon in Italy and Draco had no idea where Theo was. He was glad he decided to talk to that intriguing woman the night of the Ministry function. Reluctant to admit, Draco truly needed someone and Lily was someone indeed. She intrigued him yet confused him at the same time, but she was good company so he figured it wasn't important to figure out everything about her now.

_At this point, I don't care if it was Harry bloody Potter._


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry met Draco on a weekly basis. They walked in parks, discussed their opinions of the Ministry, and just did what any other pair of friends do. One Saturday Draco had brought up the idea of going flying. It had been a while for both of them and the weather was great lately. Harry agreed it would be fun but he couldn't think of anywhere open enough for them. Just as Harry walked with Draco to an apparition point, the other man spoke up, mentioning that there was a large area behind his house that was perfect for the occasion.

So that's where Harry was heading to now.

* * *

><p>He gripped his old Firebolt and apparated as soon as he left his house before anyone could spot him. He landed just outside the gate and was greeted by the tall blond. Harry smiled in greeting as Draco lead them around the side of the Manor to a large open field, several large boulders adorning the grassy field. There was a light breeze but nothing that would interfere with their flying.<p>

They mounted their brooms and shot up into the air. Harry laughed excitedly as he felt the wind whip around his face. He decided to keep his clothing and hair simple today. His long dark hair was tied up in low ponytail and he wore a simple t-shirt with dark jeans and grey trainers.

He looked over smiled back as he saw Draco. It had taken him some getting used to, but Harry had soon come to love the way Draco's lips would stretch into a true smile that reached his eyes. He was sure neither of them saw much of that expression when they were in school.

They flew lazily about for a while, doing loops, practicing feints, or just hovering high up in the air.

Harry drifted over to Draco as they hovered about a hundred feet from the ground. "Care for a quick game of catching the snitch?" He reached into his jean pocket, gripping the golden snitch between his fingers.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but I don't ha-Of course you would have a snitch in your pocket. It better not be one of your charmed ones." He eyed the golden object suspiciously.

Harry had revealed his slight obsession with snitches to Draco a week or so back. He joked it was because he was having withdrawal symptoms of not being able to play for so long, let alone fly. Harry shook his head in response and tossed the object into the air, watching it flit across them and disappear into the clouds.

The two raced after the snitch, lightly bumping into each other to throw the other off. After all, there were no Bludgers here to look out for.

"How about a wager, Malfoy? Make this more interesting." Harry shouted playfully out while keeping an eye out for that little glint of light.

"You're on, Black. What do you want?" Draco said back, not looking at him.

"If I win, I get to see your bedroom, I bet it's Slytherin green, just like the little Slytherin prince you are," he laughed. Harry knew he wanted more than just to prove to himself the room was typical of a Slytherin. Oh, he wanted so much more. That bit of attraction he admitted to the Malfoys during tea that fateful Sunday had grown to be a little more than a bit. Harry was falling for Draco and falling fast at that.

While looking for the snitch, Harry hadn't realized Draco had hovered so close to him. He nearly jumped off his broom when he heard a breathy, "Oh, is that _all _you want to do in my room?" Harry whipped around, a flush adorning his soft features. Draco simply smirked and backed off.

"And what do I get when I win?"

"_If_ you win, my dear disillusioned Draco."

Harry heard a soft chuckling as he spotted a tiny glint, way to far up into the sky.

"What do I get, Lily?"

Harry hummed quietly, thinking over his options. "A kiss?" He flushed.

"I can get that anytime I wish, just need to catch you off guard. How about a secret? If I win, you, dearest Lily, will tell me something you've never told anyone else before. Something I don't already know." Draco's smirk seemed to widen as he spoke.

Harry huffed. "Fine," he said briefly before they both shot off towards the shiny object off to the left. Draco was much closer to the snitch but Harry was faster. The toes of their shoes were skimming along the tips of the long grass. Both reached out, barely able to touch the snitch when Draco did something that both won him the game and a nice comfy spot on top of Harry.

Harry gasped as he was tackled to the ground. Draco had jumped off his broom, lunging at the snitch and tackling Harry in the same go.

Draco panted softly above him, grinning the widest Harry had ever seen. "I win," he whispered before climbing off the prone body and holding out a hand to help Harry up.

Harry brushed the loose grass and dirt from his clothes and hair, untying his ponytail and letting the long dark hair cascade over his shoulders. "Alright, alright. That," he pointed a finger at the taller man. "was uncalled for, but fine. You win. What do you want to know?"

Draco shrugged, handing the snitch back to Harry. "You tell me. Think of a secret you've never told anyone, and when you've thought of that secret," he leaned forward. "Tell me." He smirked.

Harry glared, pocketing the snitch. He gathered his broom and propped it up against the side of the door as Draco led them into the house.

The two were greeted by Narcissa. She was sitting at a dark wooden table with Lucius to her right. Draco kissed his mother on the cheek and greeted his father before turning back to him. "This is Lily Black."

Harry looked over to the elder Malfoys, slightly wary, but executed his manners without a hitch. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting me into your lovely home." Harry's eyes narrowed minutely as he spotted Lucius try to cover a snort by sipping at his tea.

Narcissa stood and walked over to Harry, bending to give a kiss on each cheek. As she paused on each side of his face, Harry hissed lightly so only she would hear. "I hope you're not planning anything."

Narcissa responded by pulling back and smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Black. Would you care to join us for some afternoon tea?" The look in her eyes frightened Harry, but he tried to hold his ground, but before he could decline, a voice deeper than Draco's sounded.

"Yes, come join us, Ms. Black. It's not very often we meet friends of Draco's." Lucius had an eery smirk on his face as he called a house elf to bring two more sets of cups and to refill the teapot sitting in the center of the table.

Harry looked to Draco, pleading him with his eyes to convince his parents to let him go, but he was having none of that. Harry received a halfhearted shrug and a pulled out chair across from Lucius. He glared slightly at the blond and was met with a tiny smirk emerging on those pale lips.

"So, Ms. Black, how long have you known Draco?" Narcissa asked, charming the pot to pour tea into the cups.

"Please, Lily is just fine, and I've known him for a while. We went to school together but only recently became friends about a month or so ago." Harry answered with a strained smile.

Lucius nodded, levitating the plate of sugar cubes towards him. "Sugar," he offered with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harry threw a glare at the man before taking a hold of the dish and thanking him politely. Harry plopped one cube into his tea and placed one on his saucer. He turned to his right, offering the plate to Draco.

Draco shook his head, already drinking the dark, bitter tea. Harry placed the plate in front of him, looking back up to the parents. They had identical mischievous looks hiding under their polite features.

The four spoke mostly about his occupation and hobbies, thankfully not asking about family or anything that might be revealing. All the while, Harry had placed at least two cubes of sugar between his teeth, sucking at them when he wasn't talking. Draco had looked over at him questioningly when Harry placed a third cube of sugar on his saucer. Lucius looked to be torn between frowning and smirking knowingly.

Harry looked at Draco and sat up slightly in his chair, brushing a stray lock on hair behind his ear. "Sorry, habit," he mumbled, nervously fingering the small rings on the ear he just revealed.

The subject had moved onto whatever potion Draco was developing at St. Mungo's when Harry stuck the sugar cube into his mouth and Narcissa stood abruptly. The two blond men looked at her with mirror expressions before she spoke. "Seeing as Lily, here, owns a bookstore I thought perhaps she might be interested in some of the books in our library."

Harry opened his mouth to protest after he hastily swallowed the slurry of sugar granules and saliva. However, Narcissa was quicker and had already pulled him out into the hallway, up a flight of stairs and into a cozy library.

"Narcissa!" He hissed.

She tutted and waved her hand dismissively at him. "Oh, take that spell off, dear. It's really quite odd talking to you when you don't look like yourself."

Harry huffed and muttered the counters spell, waving his wand over his front. He then pointed his wand at the door, shooting several strong locking and silencing spells so neither of the Malfoy men could barge in when Harry wasn't ready.

Narcissa gestured for Harry to sit on a large chair off to the side. He took the seat, adjusting the shirt that now clung to his skin. His jeans were tight against his bottom and legs, but the shoes were still comfortable, a bit more snug than usual, but comfortable.

The Malfoy folded her hands neatly in her lap and looked Harry in the eye. "You're getting too close. Either tell him the truth, or back off until you're just friends again."

"What? What are you talking about? We _are_ just friends."

"Don't play daft, Harry. It's unbecoming of you. You know well what I'm speaking of. I see the way he looks at you and the way his hand lingers on your shoulder or arm. I thought you promised us to be careful. Am I wrong?"

Harry hung his head. "No, ma'am," he lifted his head, biting the corner of his lip. "I was being careful! Those touches and looks...I thought they were just my imagination. Something fictional, made up by my mind because it's something I want, but can't have. Because," he trailed off, not sure what to say. "I think I've fallen for your son," he whispered. He started at the floor, not meeting Narcissa's gaze.

"You have to tell him," she said grimly.

"I can't! He'll hate me," he exclaimed, eyes shooting back to look into ice blue eyes.

"He'll hate you even more if you drag this along and he finds out on his own. You don't believe me when I tell you he has feelings for you? Feelings that go beyond a platonic desire?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and chewed on his lip harder.

"If you won't tell him, I will. I refuse to allow either of you to be hurt because of your desire to stay hidden from the world." Narcissa sighed, pushing Harry's chin down lightly so his bottom lip was released from between his teeth. "Stop that," she said softly. "No wonder your lips always look swollen; you keep chewing on them."

"I'll," Harry took in a deep breath. "I'll tell him soon. And then, you can ask your son where he buried Harry Potter." He stood up, cast the spell to change his appearance and canceled the spells on the door. "I really must be going, Narcissa. Thank you for the tea." His bangs shadowed over his eyes as he opened the door. He stopped when he felt thin arms arm around his shoulders.

"Harry," the witch began, but Harry cut her off.

"Don't worry," he placed a hand on hers. "I'll tell him the next time we meet. You'll hold up your word, and I'll hold up mine. Unless Draco specifically asks you who I am, you, nor Lucius, may say anything."

He felt Narcissa nod against his hair. She released him after a moment and the pair made their way down the stairs and to the drawing room where Draco and Lucius decided to move their discussion. Harry plastered a smile on his face, moved into the room and bowed his head at the Head of Malfoy. "I'm sorry to cut our time short, Mr. Malfoy, but I really must be on my way. Thank you again for inviting me into your lovely home."

Lucius nodded, glancing at his wife who entered with a sombre expression.

Draco stood and pressed a hand to his lower back, guiding them to the door. Harry grabbed his broom and propped it on his shoulder as they walked to the gate. "So about that secret," he smirked.

Harry gave a half smile, and patted his hand lightly. "In good time, my dear," he said quietly.

"Lily? Is something wrong? Did Mother say something bad to you?" Draco looked alarmed, like he really did care.

Harry smiled reassuringly and shook his head, locks of dark hair falling around his face. "No, nothing like that. Your mother is a very lovely lady. I very much enjoyed the books in your library. I'm just tired, not used to flying so much. I guess it just caught up to me," he lied.

Draco nodded, accepting the fib.

"I'll see you next week," he said, moving towards the gate again.

"Wait," Draco placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn around. "I have something to do next Saturday."

Harry tensed slightly but waved a hand dismissively. "That's alright. I'll just see you some other time."

"Actually, I was thinking I could stay in the store with you, give you some company on Friday." Draco looked intently at him, looking like he might take back the offer in a second.

Harry figured Friday might be good day to tell Draco his big secret and quickly nodded, smiling up at him. "That would be great. I'll see you Friday, Draco."

Without waiting for any further response, Harry walked swiftly out of the gates and turned on his heel, apparating into an alley across from 12 Grimmauld Place. He moved into his house, locking the door behind him and sending his broom into the cupboard by the door. He enlarged his clothes back to the original size and dropped his spell, feeling relaxed in his own skin again. Harry toed off his shoes, stumbling over to the couch. The fireplace lit as he walked by, giving off a great warmth Harry so badly needed.

Harry collapsed onto the couch, letting his legs hang over the arm rest. He was glad Teddy wanted to stay the night at Bill and Fleur's this weekend. The wizard liked the silence of the house, it calmed him, yet caused him to panic. Without any distractions, Harry would be forced to think about how he would reveal the truth to Draco.

He took a deep breath and summoned the Firewhiskey and a glass from the bookshelves behind the couch. The liquid twinkled in the fire light as he poured. Relishing in the burn along his throat, Harry threw an arm over his eyes. The glass hanging loosely between his middle finger and thumb.

_This is going to be a long week. _


	8. Chapter 8

Draco walked into The Snitch the following Friday morning, keeping Lily company just until the store became busy around lunch time. He greeted the woman, taking up the stool she had conjured.

Lily smiled, pulling a marble chess set from under the counter. "I thought we could play some chess. My best friend was wicked good at it, so I picked up some tips."

"Bring it on, Black." He smirked.

"It's not Wizards Chess so you'll have to move the pieces on your own."

"I realize that, Ms. Black. Could you start before I grow a beard?"

Lily rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue childishly but moved her first pawn. The two continued on, occasionally pausing for Lily to deal with customers. After two hours, Draco had crushed Lily at every match. She pouted cutely, setting the board up again.

"Hey, Draco, there's something I," She was cut off when something started to ring and vibrate on the counter. It was the portable communication device Lily told him about the other day. A mobile phone, she called it.

Lily picked up the phone, clicked it open and placed it to her ear. "Hello. You've reached The Snitch. Lily Black speaking, how may I help you?" She said in a professional voice, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill in case she needed to write something down. Instead, she dropped the quill and hissed, "What?"

Draco looked at her questioningly but she simply furrowed her eyebrows, opening her mouth to speak to the other person on the line.

"Yes, I understand, but I cannot simply leave my shop. I'm the only one who knows how to run this place and it's quite busy at the moment," she paused, listening angrily. "No. Can't you just keep him in the office until- Yes, I realize it's procedure for me to- You're not listening to me, Ms. Caldwell."

By now, the dark haired woman was gripping the edge of the marble counter so tight Draco thought he heard a crack.

She sighed, releasing the counter and pinching between her eyes. "Look, can I send someone to pick him up?...No, there is no other guardian besides me. Yes, I realize how irresponsible that is but there's no one else I trust with Teddy, alright? Just-"

Draco looked on a bit helplessly as the woman growled. "Ms. Caldwell! Teddy will know what to do, alright? He knows who he can tr-We have a system!"

She scribbled something furiously on the paper in front of her and thrust it at him. Draco looked down and grasped the paper that read: _The ___Marauders___ live through me. _He raised an eyebrow just as Lily clicked her phone shut, rolling her shoulders in an attempt to release some tension. She turned to him and gave a weak smile.

"I'm so sorry to do this to you, but could you go pick up my godson? He attends the school just three blocks down. I would do it myself, but, well, you heard me on the phone." She looked at him hopefully.

Draco nodded slowly and held up the piece of parchment, a question on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh! Yes, OK, Teddy will ask you for the password when you try to take him from the school. Ignore the bint with the twitch in her eye. She won't approve but she can't do anything about it," she ushered him out the door and gave him directions to get to the building. "Oh and don't heal him if he has any injuries!" She shouted, rushing back into the store.

* * *

><p>Draco made his way to the small building, wondering why she had mentioned injuries. <em>Had her godson gotten into a fight?<em> He walked through the open doors and asked a little girl, who looked to be about five, to lead him to the Office. She lead him up a flight of stairs and to a light blue door that indicated it indeed was the school office. He thanked her and opened the door to be greeted by the secretary.

The elderly woman looked at him with a stern gaze then asked him in a gruff voice as to what his business was.

Draco cleared his throat. Lily hadn't told him what to say. He figured the secretary might have an idea if he just stated he was hear to pick up a child. The secretary grunted and pointed a wrinkly finger down the hall to the left, leading to another door. Draco raised his fist and knocked curtly on the frosted glass pane, receiving a high-pitched, "Come in."

Draco turned the knob of the door and entered the stuffy room, coming face to face with a slight woman with short auburn hair. She was glaring fiercely at him, a slight twitch in her left eye. "You must be Ms. Caldwell I've come to pick up Teddy."

"That will be a problem, Mr..."

"Malfoy. And why is it a problem?"

"Because, Mr. Malfoy. Theodore here has the audacity to beat up one of our top students," she gestured to the boy sitting in the chair facing the large wooden desk. Draco looked down and took in the sight of the boy. _That would be a yes; he had gotten into a fight. _He had a split lip, scratches on his face, a couple fingers bent at an odd angle, and his right cheek seemed to be swelling slightly. He brought his gaze back up to the irritating woman.

"Are you sure? It looks like he's the one that got beat up." He heard a scoff from the boy and a muttered "He looks much worse." Draco rose an eyebrow but ignored the comment for now.

"Ms. Caldwell, why can I not take Teddy back to Lily? She's extremely busy."

"Who are you to Ms. Black? I've never seen you before and I must discuss Theodore's punishment." She responded in a shrill, arrogant voice.

"You can discuss that with me." Draco sneered, taking the chair next to the boy. He crossed his legs elegantly, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair.

The woman spluttered and sat down at her desk, shuffling papers around before handing him a pink slip. Draco took the paper, reading carefully. It merely stated Teddy had a weeks worth of detention because it was a first time offense and a request to speak with Lily Black on the behavior of the boy. Draco narrowed his eyes at the script at the bottom, added on as an after thought, suggesting perhaps Lily Black was unfit to be a guardian for one Theodore Lupin.

_Lupin?_ Draco thought. That was the name of his DADA professor so many years ago. _Is this his son?_ He shrugged it off, folding the paper neatly in his hands.

"I assure you, Lily will get the message, but that cannot happen unless you let me take Teddy back to her. We will be taking our leave now, Ms. Caldwell," he spat, irritation dripping from every word. He walked out of the office, not looking back to see if the boy had followed him. A screeching of wood on linoleum told him he had.

Teddy rushed after the tall blond, matching his long strides with several hurried ones. As soon as they exited the office, the boy stopped. "Wait," he called out, shifting his backpack. "What's the password?" He looked determinedly at Draco, ready to run if he didn't say the right words.

Draco fingered the parchment in his pocket, turning to the small boy. "The Marauders live through me." He stared, waiting for the boy's reaction. He simply nodded and walked ahead of Draco. When they passed the school gates, the boy spoke up again. "Are you taking me home or to the shop?"

"The shop," he responded curtly. This boy seemed much too mature for his age. Perhaps he was the son of his late professor. He heard that he and his wife died during the war, leaving Teddy to his grandmother, Draco's aunt. An aunt that was disowned. Teddy nodded and headed off in the direction of the shop.

As they entered, Lily was finishing up with the last customer in the store. She rushed over and knelt down at the boy's level. "What the hell were you thinking?" She hissed, pulling him up onto the stool Draco sat in moments before. She checked him over and made sure all injuries were non fatal. She carefully moved Teddy's face in her hands so he was forced to look at her. "Well?" There was anger in her voice but was mostly over laden with worry.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-" he choked, tears welling up in his eyes. He shut his eyes tightly, squeezing out the salty liquid.

"Teddy," she began lightly. "What happened? What possessed you to beat up Thomas Jenkins? You know his parents already don't like me."

"I know," he hiccuped, wiping his tears with his jacket sleeve. Draco leaned on the counter and conjured a handkerchief for the boy. He took it with a mumbled thanks.

"He started it! He said my parents didn't love me and that they killed themselves to get away from me! And then he called you a wh-," he gagged, choking on his words. "He called you a whore and said that you were too busy se-selling yourself to be b-bothered with me." Teddy cried, gripping Lily's wrists tightly. "You said Dad and Sirius never backed down during the war! And didn't know what else to do."

Lily took a deep breath and releasing it to blow up at her fringe, a habit Draco had noticed. "Teddy, you know Remus and Tonks loved you and you know who I am. You can't let those things bother you, but yes, I'm glad that you fought back. But, Merlin, Teddy! Look how beat up you are! I thought I taught you how to fight properly."

"You did," he mumbled. He had stopped crying and was just sniffling. "Thomas had to be sent to the nurse's office. I broke his nose."

Lily's eye's widened, tugging the boy into a hug. "That's my boy. I can't heal any of your injuries or people will get suspicious but we'll get something for your pain when we get home. Did you break any bones?" She didn't seem to be angry anymore, but still overwhelmingly worried.

Teddy held up his right hand, two fingers bent oddly. Lily sighed and muttered an _Episkey_. She helped him off the stool and ushered him up the stairs. "Get Ryder to bandage you up for now and then finish your homework."

Lily turned around and sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I hope that old bat didn't give you too much trouble."

Draco scoffed. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Although, she did give me this." He handed her the pink slip of paper.

Lily took the paper and proceeded to glare at the words. "I am fit to care for Teddy! That insufferable cunt faced bint," she growled.

Draco reached up and gave a comforting squeeze to her shoulder. Lily turned to him and gave a small smile, hugging him briefly. "Thank you. For everything. If there's anything I can do for you," she trailed off.

"Go to dinner with me. Tomorrow night," he blurted out.

Lily's eyes widened as she chuckled softly. "Yeah, OK It's a date," she smiled.

Draco returned the smile with one of his own.

* * *

><p>Harry desperately needed to tell Draco. He needed to tell him who Lily Black really was. He needed to tell him the truth. He needed to find his damn boots!<p>

He rummaged in his closet and exclaimed in triumph when he gripped his favorite combat boots. He tugged them on and laced them up over his formfitting black pants. The material had a bit of a shimmer on it and bunched up behind his knees. He gripped the silver belt, looping it through the holes and buckling it loosely. After pulling on his dark red blouse, Harry turned to the full length mirror in front of him. He looked semi-formal, just like Draco had said the restaurant would be. Luckily, it was run by Wizards so he had plenty of time to get ready. After all, it only took a couple seconds to apparate. Draco had owled him earlier that day, telling him the details of the place as well as sending the coordinates of the apparition point.

Harry smudged the concealer over his scar and dabbed nude coloured gloss on his lips before deciding he needed to do something about his hair. Harry picked up the comb and grabbed sections of his hair to french braid on each side of his head. He gathered his hair and tied it loosely to one side, exposing the ride side of his neck. He smiled lightly at the paw prints made their way across his skin to rest under where his long dark curls lay.

Teddy was sent to stay overnight with Bill and Fleur like he had been for the past few Saturdays. Fleur would be sending the little monster back through the floo at about 9 tomorrow morning. By then, Harry would have barricaded his house so Draco couldn't come kill him for lying to him. He grabbed his silver blazer and apparated to the restaurant as soon as he pulled it on.

Draco was standing just to the right of the entrance when Harry apparated in. He made his way over to the other man.

"Draco, you look as handsome as ever," he smiled.

"Lily, you look as beautiful as ever," he greeted with a smile of his own. "Shall we?" He held out his arm for Harry to loop his own through.

They moved through the large glass doors together and Draco spoke to the waiter in French, most likely ordering for them since Harry had no idea what to get. He smiled as the waiter came back with a vintage red wine, pouring them each a glass then leaving the bottle in the center of the table.

"What's the occasion?" Harry voiced, swirling the wine lightly, watching at the liquid clung to the side of the crystal. _It'll be sweet._ He thought with pleasure. Those etiquette lessons with the Malfoys paid off. He looked up into those cool silver eyes he'd come to love. They looked happy, truly happy. There was no trace of his usual mask. Maybe this was what Narcissa was talking about. He broke eye contact when Draco raised his glass.

"To friendship," he spoke, surprising Harry.

Harry grinned, touching the tip of his glass with Draco's. "How Hufflepuff of you, my dear sweet Slytherin Prince."

"Would you like to toast to something else?" Draco said, pausing in smelling the fragrance of the wine.

Harry shook his head, looking into the burgundy liquid as he swirled it again. "Friendship is just fine," he assured the other, sipping at the fruity alcohol. _Perfectly sweet._

Throughout the meal, the couple had conversed like normal, occasionally joking about people from Draco's office, then pointing out who was staring in the restaurant. The lovely lady to their right had been drooling over Draco all night and Harry was slightly jealous. Only slightly, if that dull burn in his chest was anything to go by.

By the time they finished eating, Harry had finally noticed the light touches and glances Draco sent his way. It wasn't just his imagination; Narcissa was right. When is she not? It didn't seem like Draco was trying to hide it either.

When their main dishes was cleared away, Draco asked him if he wanted anything for desert. Harry resisted bouncing excitedly in his seat and settled for a giant grin and a whispered "Yes."

Draco chuckled and called the waiter back over to order something in french. A few minutes later, the waiter came back with a single ramekin that looked to be filled with rich dark chocolate pudding topped with a tiny dollop of whipped cream. He placed the dish in front of Harry and took away their wine glasses.

Harry practically squealed. He looked up at Draco and frowned slightly. "Did you get anything?"

Draco shook his head with a smile, thanking the waiter as he brought the check and an espresso.

Harry was about to pull out his wallet when Draco stopped him.

"Just eat your dessert. Dinner is my treat."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but Draco was quicker, picking up a spoonful of the warm pudding and shoving it in Harry's open mouth.

"Eat," he said firmly, smirking as the waiter took the check and money.

Harry swallowed the pudding with a quiet moan. It was sweet and bitter at the same time, the best kind of dark chocolate. There was a touch of espresso in the dessert that Harry didn't care for, but the overwhelming taste of chocolate was worth it.

Draco sipped at his espresso before catching Harry's eye. "So, about that secret?"

Harry nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

Draco smirked. "You owe me a secret for winning that Seeker's match last week."

Harry swallowed nervously. "Ah, yes."

"Have you thought of one? You've had a whole week, Black." He chuckled, taking the last sip of his after-dinner drink.

"Hmm, yes. I can cast a Patronus Charm non-verbally, and have not produced one since I was 17." It was true, seeing as he had no need for it and no one knew he could do it non-verbally. It was a sign of a very powerful Wizard, seeing as not many can produce on in the first place.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that will do. Are you finished? It's quite late and I wouldn't want the princess to be home past her curfew," he smiled.

Harry smiled back, and wiped his mouth. He took the hand that was outstretched to him as they exited the warm building. It was chilly outside and Harry quickly slipped his arms through his coat. The thought of telling Draco who he was had completely slipped his mind as the two walked, arm in arm, away from the restaurant.

Harry turned to the other man to say goodbye and how lovely of a night he had when he was interrupted by the blond.

"You have a bit of chocolate," he said, pointing to his own mouth with a smile.

Harry flushed slightly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked up at Draco expectantly and was greeted by a brilliant smile. "What?"

Draco continued to smile and simply said, "Still there." He licked his lips subconsciously and Harry couldn't help but follow the movement with his eyes.

Harry raised his hand to wipe at his mouth again but Draco's hand stopped him by gripping his chin lightly.

Draco leaned down, touching his lips softly to Harry's and licking lightly at the chocolate just below his bottom lip. Harry's eyes widened, as he pulled back.

Draco opened his eyes in alarm. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Harry shook his head. "I'd really like to go out with you, Draco, but there are some things you need to know. Important things. Things I'm almost reluctant to reveal to you." He looked down at his boots, reminded of the urgency of his secret.

"If," he looked up into those steel grey eyes that looked hurt for a brief moment. "If you'd like to still date me, come to this address tomorrow, when you get off work. If, you don't," he trailed off. "If you'd like to stay just friends with me, owl me. If you'd like to have nothing to do with me from now on, tell me now." Harry swallowed, biting at his bottom lip.

He heard Draco take a deep breath and felt the other man place a kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Harry nodded and watched as the man disapparated before doing so himself. He opened his front door, changed into his pyjamas and muttered the counter spell. He padded to the cabinet in the drawing room and took out the Firewhiskey and a crystal glass. Harry grimaced as the burning sensation flowed down his throat and warmed his stomach. Spelling the glass clean, he crumbled onto the suede couch, pulling his knees to his chest. Harry buried his face in his knees, playing idly with his toes.

Going to dinner with Draco Malfoy had been a bad idea. Befriending Draco Malfoy had been a bad idea. Talking to Draco Malfoy at that Ministry function was a bad idea. But he did it anyway, under the disguise of a woman, no less.

_What the hell was I thinking?_


	9. Chapter 9

Ooh, I'm so late with this chapter! My apologies! Happy Reading~

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><p>Harry hung up his phone and turned back to watching Teddy float around on his toy broom. Orion was growing too fast so Ryder had offered to bring him back to the reservations in Romania since Viktor's first match would be there in one week's time.<p>

It was lunch time and Harry didn't feel like cooking. He gestured for the boy to hover over to him and when he did, Harry asked if he wanted to go to the park later.

"We can grab a quick bite to eat at that sandwich shop you like on the way to the park. Would you like that?"

Teddy hopped off the broom and beamed. "Can we go get ice cream at Fortescue's?"

Harry shrugged, murmuring a "Why not?"

After Mr. Fortescue had been killed, Diagon Alley had gone without an ice cream parlour for quite some time. It wasn't until a couple years ago that an elderly couple bought the space and opened their own ice cream shop. In his memory, the new owners had kept the name of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They were just as kind and warming as Harry remembered Mr. Fortescue to be. Although not the same as the original shop, their ice cream was still pretty good if Harry's refined sweet tooth was anything to go buy.

Harry chuckled softly as he walked down the street with Teddy's hand in his, remembering when Lucius found just how much sugar Harry could really pack away. It still amazed Harry as to how much sugar he consumed and he still stayed healthy. Narcissa claimed it was in his genes.

The top of Harry's long dark hair was tucked neatly under a simple black cap while the length of it flew gently in the breeze. They spent about five minutes walking and chatting idly before they reached the sandwich shop. Taking their orders, the two wizards set off to eat at a bench in the park.

As soon as Teddy took the last bite of his sandwich he rushed off to the swings with Harry's cry of 'Be Careful!' floating after him.

Harry leaned back against the bench and sighed. In just a few hours, Draco would be at his door step, demanding an explanation as to why Harry pushed him away the night previous. Harry was pulled out of his thoughts when Teddy came running over.

"Ice cream?" He grinned, bouncing up and down. Teddy panted lightly after running from across the park.

Harry laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you think you can handle walking a few more blocks to the Leaky Cauldron?"

Teddy nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Harry's hand when he held it out. Continuing their trek through London, Harry half listened as Teddy rambled on about what he was doing in class. By the time they reached the Leaky Cauldron, Teddy had become quiet, taking in the surroundings of the wizarding pub. They moved to the back of the pub and Harry tapped the bricks with his wand.

The pair entered the ice cream parlour with smiles on their faces. Harry greeted the elderly couple and hoisted Teddy up so he could see what flavors there were to choose from.

Teddy gripped onto his godfather's neck, careful not to pull at the loose blouse he was wearing in his disguise. Teddy pointed to the flavors he wanted and watched with wide eyes as the lady piled blackberry ice cream on top of vanilla with bits of crushed chocolate frogs into a paper cup. Harry let Teddy down and handed the cup and a spoon to the boy, ushering him over to a table in the corner.

He turned back to the lady and asked for a cone of the strawberry flavor with fudge streaking throughout the creamy substance. Harry thanked the woman and dropped the galleons in to her palm with a bright smile.

As they ate their cool treats, Harry asked what Teddy would think if Harry stopped hiding, if he stopped looking like he did at the moment. Teddy didn't know what to think. Most of his life was spent with Harry in disguise, save for that first half year after his grandmother died but he didn't remember much of that. He surprised his godfather by simply saying if Harry was happy, then it didn't matter much to Teddy. He didn't have many friends at school, especially now that he knocked out the most popular kid in his class.

Harry smiled, thanking Teddy for his consideration. He popped the last bite of the cone into his mouth and wiped at his mouth with a napkin, waiting for Teddy to finish his dessert. Teddy finished with a smack of his lips and a large grin. They spent the rest of the day walking around Diagon Alley. Harry bought Teddy a book from Flourish & Blotts.

It was nearly time for Draco to be leaving work so Harry led Teddy to a secluded area behind one of the shops and apparated them back to 12 Grimmauld Place. He quickly changed into a t-shirt and jeans, dropping the charm. He figured it'd be best to show Draco rather than explain everything.

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><p>Draco took off his work robes and set them on the hook by his desk. He really didn't understand why the potion brewers had to wear the same color as the Healers in St. Mungo's. What if a patient wandered down to their area and mistook them for Healers? Draco sighed, brushing a hand through his hair lightly. He waved goodbye to a few of his co-workers, ignoring the ones that looked on disapprovingly.<p>

"Hey, Malfoy. Wanna go out for drinks? That botched batch of Skele-Gro took a lot out of our team. Poor Timmy is still cleaning the gunk out of his hair." A sweet voice sounded behind him as he locked up his desk and pulled on his warm cloak.

Draco turned around and looked at his former schoolmate. Ginny had residual char smeared across her forehead from the explosion just a couple hours back. Thanks to the quick clean up, there was no lingering smell of the dreadful tasting potion.

The blond shook his head at the woman and walked with her to the exit of the wizarding hospital. "I have to meet someone right after work."

Ginny smiled. "A special someone?"

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Aw, come on. I may not know you very well, but you've been all spacey all day! So either someone died or you're thinking about someone special," her grin widened.

The man glared at her. "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah. I'm meeting 'someone special' as you put it." He opened the door of the hospital, breathing in a rush of frigid air.

Ginny laughed and waved at him. "Alright then. Have fun on your date, Malfoy!" She turned away and continued walking down the street with three other members of their brewing team.

The Malfoy heir sighed and apparated as close to the address as he could. He looked around and found he was standing in an alley. He stepped out below a street lamp and spotted a sign that told him he was on Grimmauld Place. He crossed the street, pulling the coat tighter around himself and looked at the numbers on the houses.

Walking down the short street, Draco passed houses 10 to 17. He frowned and tried to remember the address that was given to him the night before. He couldn't keep the slip of paper because it promptly incinerated when he read the address aloud to himself. _Number 12 Grimmauld Place. I should have seen it._ He walked back to the beginning of the street and carefully watched the numbers as he passed by. _Ten, eleven, thirteen, four-_. The man stopped in his tracks, turned back and marched over to the space between house 11 and 13.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place," he muttered to himself, thinking perhaps he remembered the address wrong but a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Turning back to fully face the house, molten silver eyes widened as the space between the two houses seemed to stretch, making room for another. The small stoop popped out first, closely followed by the full length of the house, complete with the dark blue door.

"A Fidelius Charm," he whispered into the wind. A pale fist knocked on the blue paint, creating a sharp thump that resounded through the house. He stepped back and waited until the door hesitantly cracked open to reveal ruffled black hair and bright silver eyes.

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><p>Harry looked at the clock shining back at him atop the Muggle stove. He was boiling water for the tea that he would take out when Draco graced his home with his presence. A knock sounded through the house just as the kettle started to whistle. He took the metal pot off the fire and poured it into the teapot. Harry called out to Teddy, asking him to answer the door as he placed two sets of cups and the teapot onto a sturdy tray. He pulled set out a saucer of sugar cubes even though he would be the only one that would need it.<p>

Harry grasped the tray and moved into the drawing room as he heard Teddy scurry back off to his room.

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><p>Draco greeted the small boy grinning at him. The boy led him into the drawing room and left without another word. After a short moment, Draco realized that boy was Teddy. <em>Mother mentioned something about a Metamorphmagus. Explains why he looked so different.<em> The blond settled into a plush looking chair to his right after draping his coat over the back. He heard dishes clinking in the other room and took his time to view the few photos along the mantle. Most were wizard photos with the exception of seven the hung on the wall to his left. From what he could see, all seven were of girls.

The furthest to the left was of beautiful blonde woman that looked suspiciously like a young Narcissa. The next had short red hair with streaks of black, followed by three brunettes of varying lengths and shades. The next two following the brunettes were red headed, both with long flowing hair that cascaded over pale shoulders. One woman had narrow eyes with a sharp nose and the other looked much softer. She had large eyes and a bright smile. The last photo was of Lily Black. The long black hair and bright green eyes was unmistakable, especially the pierced right ear that was revealed as the dark mane was posed on her left shoulder.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Draco could see the pale glint of earrings in each of the photos. The blond woman had one piercing, the second had two, and so on.

The sound of a door sliding close brought his gaze to his front. He raised his head to meet the bright green eyes of Harry Potter.

Harry opened his mouth to greet the man before him but the roaring of the fireplace interrupted him.

Ryder stumbled through the floo, shooting a smile at Harry. "I'll see you in six months and bring back those chocolate you love so much. Bye, Sneak." He reached up and brushed each cheek with a kiss and dropped a pair of keys onto the tray Harry was holding. The man turned away from the brunet, finally noticing the presence of Draco.

He looked between the two wizards, eyes growing wide. "Oh. _Oh._ Happy snogging." He teased, ruffling Harry's already messy hair and disappearing in green flames before Harry had a chance to protest.

Harry set the tray on the coffee table and sat at the opposite end of the couch, facing the chair Draco was sitting in. He pulled his bare feet up onto the cushions, rested his chin on his knees and blew a puff of air at the bangs that fell into his face when Ryder touched him.

"I never meant to lie to you. I just wanted us to be friends. I suppose it was selfish of me to want to be your friend when you had no idea who I was," Harry began in a quiet, meek voice. He hugged his legs closer to his body."I'm not sorry, though. If I hadn't lied, I wouldn't have been able to get to know you so well and vice versa. I swear the only thing I lied about was my name," he sighed, the entire time he spoke, he was staring at the corner of the window pane just above Draco's head.

Harry finally looked up to gauge his reaction. Draco was staring blankly at him. There was no surprise or anger Harry thought he'd see. Harry stared back and after a brief moment of realization, he took in a shaky breath.

Draco kept his eyes on the wizard. He suppressed a flinch when the pain flashed across those green eyes he had come to adore.

"You knew," Harry hissed dangerously low.

Draco didn't respond, opting to stare intently at the leg of the coffee table. He was surprised at how quickly Harry could switch from explanatory to scathing so quickly.

"You kn-Whe-How?" He choked.

Draco looked up, looking into eyes that burned with anger and pain and a hint of confusion. He could deal with an angry Harry Potter, just not one that looked so _hurt_. If anyone, Draco should be the one that's hurt for being lied to. He brushed it aside for now, trying to figure out _why_ the other man would feel like that.

"Mother," he breathed out. "I had a feeling that time I picked up Teddy from school so I asked her. I honestly never thought you had done that much for my family."

Harry ignored the last statement, anger and betrayal burning in his chest. "When?" His hands gripped his knees painfully, nails digging into the dark denim.

"The day I kissed you," he whispered.

The emotions seemed to cause Harry to implode. He shot up, turning away from the blond. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, Harry whipped around, gritting his teeth.

The pure fury in his eyes seemed to take Draco by surprise. He stood up, taking a cautious step towards Harry.

"Is that why you did it? Is this some fucking ploy to humiliate me? Get me to fucking fall for you? I am _never_ going to let that happen, _Malfoy_." He spat, turning on his heel and apparating out of his own house.

_Oh. That's why he's so mad. _Draco thought lamely. He looked at the doorway as he heard movement against the hard wood floor of the hallway.

Teddy came around the corner, fear in his eyes. He had never heard his godfather so angry before. "Uhm, Mr. Malfoy? Where did Harry go?"

Draco sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Is there somewhere I can take you? There's no one else here and I don't want to leave you here by yourself."

The boy nodded and grabbed a photo from the bookshelf. He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the tall blond. "For emergencies, Harry said."

Draco took the slip of paper, raising his eyebrows. It read _Malfoy Manor._ He nodded taking the boy's hand and pulled them to the fireplace, shouting the name of his home. The two stepped out and were greeted by the slightly muffled surprised voice of Narcissa. "You weren't expecting anyone, were you Lucius?" She stepped into the parlour and frowned. "Draco? What's going on?"

"Harry ran off. You're his emergency contact for his godson."

"Harry ra-_Oh_. O-oh dear." She covered her mouth with a dainty hand, eyes wide.

"Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"At this point, Draco, I'm afraid you know him better than anyone else." She sighed and turned away, leaving Draco to his own devices. She took Teddy's hand and led the frightened child out of the parlour.

Draco sighed, walking off the grounds before apparating to Ginny Weasley's flat, which was a dead end. He then remembered the man, Ryder, lived above Harry's bookstore. He knew it was a stretch but Harry might be there. Ryder had mentioned he was going to be out of town for a while.

He apparated to the apparition point before sprinting over to the bookstore he had come accustomed to. Draco tried the front door, casting an _Alohamora_, and slipping inside. As he had hoped, none of the workings of the shop seemed to be on since the store was not opened to customers. Luckily for him, even the entrance bell was disabled. Quickly rushing behind the counter, the blond quietly ascended the steep steps. He stepped into the plainly decorated living room, and spotted the brunet sitting on a chair facing a blank wall. Draco moved closer and saw that Harry had a hand covering his mouth, elbow resting on the leather bound arm rest.

"Go away," the defeated voice sounded, muffled slightly by the hand.

Draco said nothing, moving to kneel in front of the man. He reached up hesitantly, grabbing a hold of the trembling appendage. He held it in both hands, gently lowering it to the brunet's lap.

"Please go away."

Draco finally looked up at his face, tightening his hold on the other man's hand. Harry's lip was bleeding profusely, most likely from the man continuously biting too hard in his anger. His eyes were dark and glazed over with tears tempted to spill over at the slightest touch. Draco pulled Harry up, wrapped his arms around the thin frame. He turned on his heel, forcefully apparating them back into 12 Grimmauld Place.

By the time Draco let go of Harry, tears were flowing out of Harry's tightly shut eyes. Draco leaned down and captured the bloody lips between his. He carefully coaxed Harry's bottom lip from punishing teeth and swiped the tip of his tongue lightly across the blood, tasting the coppery liquid along side saliva that belonged entirely to the man he wrapped his arms around. A large hand splayed across Harry's lower back and the other reached up, gently tangling his long, pale fingers in the dark hair. Draco heard the wizard whimper softly as his robes were clutched tightly in Harry's grip.

Draco pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against Harry's waiting patiently for those brilliant green eyes to open once again.

"W-why?" Harry said, barely a whisper that if Draco had not been so close to feel his breath, he might not have known Harry said anything at all. His eyes were still closed, but thankfully the tears had stopped.

Draco lifted his hand from Harry's back and wiped the salty drops away. "Because I'm falling for you just as hard as you are for me." _Yes._ The beautiful clover green eyes had snapped open.

Harry let out a chocked gasp. He shook his head releasing Draco's robes and trying in vain to push him away.

Draco held tight, not willing to let this man escape when he had just got him back. "Potter. I can promise you that I never intended to hurt you. Could we try," he paused, taking in a deep breath. "Could we try being together? Like this? Without you trying to hide everything from everyone?"

Harry sighed, resting his head on the other man's collarbone. "If this is real, if you really want just me, then yes, I suppose we could. I told your father I'd come out of hiding if there was something worth the trouble. You had better be worth it, Draco Lucius Malfoy." He finished, whispering the last bit against lips that had caressed his just moments before.

Draco let a smile grace his lips, pressing them lightly against Harry's. "Malfoys are always worth it. You had better not run from me again, Harry James Potter."

Harry nodded, sliding his hands up firm shoulders and resting them at the nape of the blond's neck. He played idly with the soft hairs, swiping his tongue against his still bloody lips._ Perhaps Draco Malfoy will be worth it after all. _


	10. Chapter 10

Draco had brought Harry to bed that night, telling him to sleep with a promise that they would talk later. He graciously brought a sleeping Teddy back home and put him into bed. Harry thought it was nice having someone else around to look after his godson, if only for a while.

During his lunch break, Draco sent an owl to Harry. He stated he would be by his house after work and he'd make them dinner. Harry replied back that he was going to meet him at the Manor instead. Harry hadn't given a reason why but he acquiesced nonetheless.

Harry closed his shop early, giving him a little more than 3 hours to head over to Malfoy Manor and cook before Draco got off work. He retrieved Teddy from the school on his way.

"What would you like for dinner, Teddy? We're going to the Malfoys tonight."

"Are you going to cook, Harry?"

The man smiled. "Yes, I haven't done so for a while. I miss it. It's nice cooking for more than just two people."

Teddy grabbed his hand as they crossed the street to a supermarket. "Can we have Bolognese with Tagliatelle and giant meatballs? And the fruit and custard tart you made for Aunt Luna for her birthday?" He said excitedly, walking along side Harry as he grabbed a trolley.

Harry hummed in thought. "I suppose, but I don't have time to make the tagliatelle from scratch so we'll have to settle with the dried version."

They moved into the pasta section and Harry bent slightly to look at all the labels, finally retrieving two packages of dried tagliatelle. As the two shopped for ingredients, Harry planned out what he would say to the three Malfoys. He wondered how he would handle the press once again. After disappearing for five years, the press would be hounding him constantly, especially if he decided to let out that he was dating Draco Malfoy. _That's if he still wants me. _Harry sighed and thanked the butcher for the packages of ground meat and pancetta and headed to the cashier to pay. With Teddy hot on his heels, he almost forgot to pick up a bottle of red wine for the sauce. He quickly picked the right wine and made his way over to pay.

Exiting the grocery store, Harry discreetly lighten the two large bags of produce. The store was much further away from their house than his shop was. Harry debated grabbing Teddy and apparating but there were too many people in the area.

He shook the dark locks from his face with difficultly and nearly dropped the bag with the wine and eggs.

"Would you like some help with that, little miss?" A deep voice sounded somewhere to his right.

Harry felt Teddy grip onto his long shirt and shuffle closer to him. He turned around slightly and smiled a polite smile. "No, I'm quite alright, sir. Thank you for the offer."

The man frowned. He wasn't bad looking and Harry would've taken any help he could get at the moment but he was a Muggle. Harry couldn't very well take out his wand and remove the lightening charm before his very eyes. Harry moved to turn around again but a rough hand shot out and gripped his shoulder.

"But, miss, you look like you have your hands full and it would no good for a lovely woman like you to be wandering these streets with a child. It could get dangerous." He said forcefully, tightening his grip.

Harry tried to throw the hand off his shoulder. "Look, mister. I don't want any trouble," he growled. "I have somewhere to be, so I suggest you back off before I cut off your precious family jewels."

The man seemed shocked by his outburst and Harry felt the hand loosen. He took the opportunity to race across the street with Teddy as the light changed. Unfortunately, the man had regained his senses at the late minute, gripping onto his shoulder with his nails. With the force of Harry pulling away and the pressure of the nails in his skin, several scratches appeared on his milky white skin, beading blood as Harry hastily unlocked the door of his shop. He quickly shuffled Teddy into the large room, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened as the man headed their way. He propped the groceries against the wall, pulled out his wand, pointed it at the man through the crack of the door and whispered "_Confundo_."

Satisfied with the man stopping dead in the middle of the side walk and scratching his head, Harry lead Teddy to the storage room. He grabbed the bags of food and told Teddy to hang on tight. He placed his wand between his teeth and apparated straight into their living room, collapsing onto the couch with Teddy atop him. He sighed and set the bags beside him.

"Perhaps looking like this," he gestured to his feminine appearance. "isn't the best disguise anymore."

Teddy nodded against his side.

Harry stroked a hand through his long hair and got up, pulling the boy with him.

"Alright, go get dressed. I'll meet you back down here in fifteen minutes. Bring a book if you'd like, we'll mostly be discussing about what's going to happen after I stop being this." He gestured to his body again.

Teddy nodded once more before heading to the stairs. Just as he placed a foot on the first step, he paused and turned back to Harry. "Are you dating Mr. Malfoy...the one who was here yesterday?" Teddy knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but had heard most of the conversation the night before when he went to the kitchen to get a glass of juice. .

Harry stood below the arch leading to the living room. He looked at the boy before him and shrugged. "I'm not sure." He knew Draco had feelings for him but he wasn't sure how long that would last. He really didn't blame Draco for treating all this like it was a fling. He had lied to him for the majority of two months.

The two moved up the stairs to get ready. Harry stripped and stepped into the shower for a brief wash. He dropped his appearance charm as he closed the shower door behind him. The sting of hot water washing over the scratches on his shoulder reminded Harry to disinfect the shallow wounds before healing them.

He moved out of the shower, cast a drying charm over his body but left his hair dripping slightly. The disinfectant stung as he wiped it over the cuts. A simple healing spell was muttered under his breath as he grabbed a towel to properly dry his hair. He had gotten into the habit of spell drying everything but his hair when Narcissa told him it would cause more damage if he continued to be lazy with the dark locks on his head.

Moving to his wardrobe, he picked out a light blue shirt and dark grey trousers. Harry combed a hand through his damp hair, not bothering to use an actual comb. It wouldn't look any different anyway. As he made his way down the steps, Harry checked to make sure Kreacher knew where they were going for the evening. Kreacher was very old and didn't do much but keep tabs on the house and ensured that all wards were securely in place.

Harry met Teddy in the living room again and handed him a lightened bag of groceries. Setting up the floo for him, Teddy was sent through to Malfoy Manor seconds before Harry stepped through with his own bag of groceries.

* * *

><p>Lucius stepped into the room to greet the guests after he heard the floo roar to life. He wasn't expecting anyone and it was still too early for Draco to be off work. Opening the doors to the parlour, the Malfoy Head raised an eyebrow.<p>

Harry grinned sheepishly at him and nudged the boy at his side forward. The boy lowered the large bag of groceries from his head and greeted him with a quiet, "Hello, Uncle Lucius," said a sweet voice.

Lucius watched as the boy changed his hair color to match the Malfoy shade of blonde and his eyes faded from black to a brilliant shade of green.

"Good Evening, Teddy, Potter. What are you doing here? Narcissa didn't say anything about your visiting us."

Harry levitated the bags of groceries behind him, straightening out his crisp button up. "I thought I'd surprise you by cooking dinner for all of us. Plus," he added distractedly. "We need to discuss my relationship with your son. Or rather, lack thereof." He made his way over to the kitchen, spreading out all the ingredients on the large counter.

"Ah, I'll alert my wife, should she hear any explosions, to dismiss it," Lucius said absently, leaving the two boys in the kitchen.

"It was one time!" Harry yelled after the man. "Well, Teddy, you ready to start cooking?" He conjured a step stool for the small boy and told him to wash all the vegetables, including the mushrooms that sat in a plastic mesh.

Harry summoned a heavy-bottomed saucepan and placed it over the flames. As soon as he deemed the pan hot enough, he grabbed the bottle of olive oil he brought from his own kitchen and poured about two tablespoons onto the smooth surface. He unwrapped the package of pancetta and placed it on a hard slab of wood.

By the time Harry had finished finely chopping the Italian, salt cured meat, Teddy had finished rinsing and peeling the onion. He bounded over to Harry to await further instructions. Dumping the raw meat into the hot oil, Harry cleansed the knife and cutting board with a quick _Scourify_.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a paring knife. It was the only knife he allowed his seven year old godson to wield because he charmed it to only cut inanimate objects. It prevented Teddy from cutting his fingers accidentally. Merlin knows how many times Harry cut himself when he cooked for the Dursleys at the young age.

He handed the knife to Teddy after a quick rinse and instructed him to chop the celery and carrots. He grabbed the vegetables and cut them in smaller sections so it was easier for Teddy to handle. The sizzling of pancetta alerted Harry to stir the meat briefly to not let it burn. Picking up his own, larger knife, Harry began to finely dice the freshly peeled onion.

As the vegetables softened in the saucepan, the boys set to work on the meatballs. Teddy took the end of a hard french roll left over from a couple night before. He placed it in a large bowl and stepped back to allow Harry to reduce it to crumbs with a muttered spell. He poured a bit of milk onto the bread crumbs and asked Harry to put in the ground three kinds of meat they bought. Harry mixed in the rest of the ingredients with his hands.

"Could you stir the sauce, Teddy? Then dump the rest of the ground meat in that bowl," he pointed with his elbow to a bowl next to the saucepan. "into the pan. Careful not to let the oil splash and burn you."

Harry formed the meatballs and placed them under a cooling charm to let them set. He washed his hands carefully and wiped them carelessly on the apron he had conjured sometime after Lucius had left the boys to their own devices.

Moving over to the small form stirring with a wooden spoon, Harry watched as Teddy broke up the clumps of pink, slowly turning grey. He upped the fire and added in the liquids necessary for the sauce. He moved to the far side of the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of red wine, opening it with a soft pop. He poured in two cups and chuckled softly when he finally looked at Teddy's face.

Harry untied the apron of the small boy and wiped away the red splashes from the wine and tomatoes they just added. "Why don't you go bother Uncle Lucius; I'm sure he'd be delighted to entertain you," he laughed, tugging down Teddy's rolled up sleeves, smoothing out the wrinkles with a quick charm. Teddy ran out of the kitchen and Harry smiled to himself when he heard light grumbling coming from the hallway.

Harry busied himself by making some tea as he waited for the sauce to thicken up. After finishing a cup of sickeningly sweet tea, the wizard was reminded of the fruit and custard tart he promised Teddy. Setting out all the ingredients, Harry combined everything to make the pastry dough. Stirring the sauce occasionally, Harry was able to make the dough in less than an hour. He placed the dough under another cooling charm as he moved to cook the meatballs in pan beside the saucepan. Harry had just under an hour to finish cooking before Draco arrived.

Harry sighed, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, smearing white flour across his already pale forehead. He set aside the large pan of meatballs, charming them to turn every few minutes so not to burn while Harry set to work on the custard.

Bringing the milk and vanilla pod mixture to a boil, Harry spread the fully cooled dough out into two tart dishes and placed them in the oven off to the side. He set the timer and raced over to deal with the custard. By the time Harry set the finished custard aside to cool, the tart shells had to be taken out.

Levitating the dishes out of the oven and placing them under a cooling charm, Harry rushed over to the forgotten sauce and set to boiling water for the tagliatelle.

He lifted the cooling charm from the tarts and left them to sit at room temperature as he took the meatballs out of their pan and into a large serving dish. Shooting a stasis charm at the steaming meatballs, Harry dumped the dried pasta into the boiling water.

Several house elves popped into the kitchen and stared at the wizard for a few moments before all popping back out. Harry shrugged and turned back to cooking dinner.

* * *

><p>Draco opened the front door and moved up to his room to change out his work clothes. He shrugged on a white button up and loose black slacks before briefly washing his face and checking his reflection was still perfection. Draco heard noise coming from his Father's study and decided to greet him. He knocked on the door which opened promptly, little Teddy beaming up at him. The small boy was clutching a potions tome to his chest.<p>

"Good Evening, Draco."

Draco tore his eyes away from the small boy and looked at the man that sat at the wooden desk facing the door. "Good Evening, Father. Seeing as Teddy is here, I assume Potter is as well," he spoke in a slight questioning tone.

Lucius nodded and told him where to find his mother but didn't mention anything about the boy's godfather.

Draco exited the study and moved down the stairs to drawing room and kissed his mother on the cheek. He pulled away and moved to the couch beside her. He was just about to get up and find Harry when a frantic house elf popped in. "Mistress! Master Harry is being in the kitchen! Wes are about to make dinner but Master Harry has taken over!" The house elf carried on to his mother as a smirk flitted across Draco's features. He stood up and moved stealthily to the kitchen.

He licked his lips lightly at the sight of his love interest standing among the perfect smelling foods, and placing his forefinger in his mouth to lick away a bit of sauce. Draco stifled a groan at the unintentional erotic sight and moved quietly to stand behind the other man.

* * *

><p>Harry drained the pasta and tossed it into the saucepan, coating each strand with bits of ground meat, aromatics, and tomatoes. He plated the Bolognese and Tagliatelle and placed it next to the plate of meatballs. A bit of sauce splashed onto his finger and he raised it up to his lips. He let his tongue flick out to taste the tomato base liquid before sliding the digit into his mouth.<p>

"My, how deliciously domestic you look in my kitchen, Potter," a rolling purring sounded dangerously close to his ear.

Harry gasped and let go of his finger with a dull, wet pop. The dark haired wizard unconsciously leaned back into the warm body behind him.

Draco gripped Harry's hips lightly and placed a light kiss just below his ear, delighted at the shiver that wracked through the brunet's thin frame.

"Hello, Draco," Harry greeted, forcing down the blush he felt spreading to his ears.

Draco released the smaller male with a husky greeting. "Did you cook all this?"

Harry nodded, vanished his apron, and unrolled his sleeves and muttered the same charm he performed on Teddy to smooth out the wrinkles. Turning around, Harry blinked owlishly up at the blond, not expecting him to be standing so close.

Draco smirked at Harry's expression and stole a chaste kiss before backing off. He chuckled softly and wiped the streak of white from Harry's forehead. "You're a very messy cook," he muttered. The flush appeared on Harry's skin again and Draco idly wondered how far down the blush reached since it seemed to go past the wizard's collar.

Harry released a soft huff and called a house elf to tell everyone dinner was ready. He moved out of the kitchen and further down the hallway to the dining room, not looking back to see if Draco followed. Going by the soft thumps of Draco's shoes, he had.

Narcissa was already sitting at the table and Lucius and Teddy entered just after Draco was seated.

Lucius took the seat at the head of the table with Narcissa at his right and Draco to his left. Harry moved to help Teddy into the high backed chair but he ran over to Narcissa's side. Harry shrugged and moved to follow but was pulled into the seat beside Draco, his hand landing dangerously close to Draco's crotch. This earned him a raised eyebrow and that familiar smirk.

Harry settled into his chair and waved his wand causing the large dishes of meatballs and Bolognese Tagliatelle to appear on the table.

"It's not a four course meal but I made dessert." Harry laughed nervously, playing with the edge of the silky table cloth.

Narcissa's eyes had widened at the size of the dishes. "Harry, dear, you could feed an army with this much food," she laughed softly.

Harry smiled and waved his wand again and their plates began to fill up. He sighed happily as he swallowed his first bite, grinning at the pleased faces of the Malfoys as well as the beaming face of young Teddy.

"So, um, how exactly did you find out about all this?" Harry asked Draco quietly, nibbling on a bit of meatball speared on his fork.

Draco turned to him slightly and gave a tiny smile. "After I picked up Teddy on Friday, I started wondering. I saw his last name on that paper I gave you and I knew that Theodore Lupin was supposed to be in custody of his godfather, but you, as Lily, confused me to no end. I asked Mother about it since

Aunt Andromeda was his grandmother."

* * *

><p><em>Flashback:<em>

_Draco woke the next day and moved to his study to finish some reports for work and research a bit on the experimental potion they were brewing. He spent the day switching between the library and his study and almost lost track of time. _

_He grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch before moving to the observatory where Narcissa was taking afternoon tea. He had promised his mother he would spend some time with her since she had mentioned that they didn't see each other often. He sat down across from her and poured the steaming dark liquid into his teacup. _

_After moments of mindless chatter about his work, Draco emptied his teacup and sat back with a pensive look. Narcissa had asked what was the matter earlier that day but Draco dismissed it with an excuse of exhaustion. However, his mother knew that wasn't it so she voiced her question again. _

"_Does Teddy Lupin have a godmother?" Draco blurted out suddenly._

_A flash of confusion and alarm crossed his mother's face. "Not that I know of, no." _

"_And his godfather is," he trailed off. _

"_Harry Potter." Narcissa finished for him. _

_Draco nodded, confirming his suspicions. _

"_Why are you asking about that boy now?"_

"_I met him yesterday." Draco heard a soft but sharp inhale of breath coming from his mother. She knew about this and didn't tell him. _

"_Really? How did that come about?" Narcissa spoke, feigning ignorance. _

"_Lily had me pick him up from school. He was caught in a fight. Tell me, mother, who does Teddy live with? Aunt Andromeda died years ago. I would assume he'd be living with Potter," he said scathingly. _

"_You are correct, Draco." Narcissa sighed, preparing herself for an outburst that never came. _

"_One last question," Draco said calmly and looked into Narcissa's light blue eyes. "Who is Lily Black?"_

"_Harry Potter," Narcissa sounded defeated. _

_Draco nodded and exited the grounds to cool off before coming back to get ready for his night out._

* * *

><p>"I ended up drinking until about an hour before I had to meet you. I took a sobriety potion before leaving the house. It took nearly a half a bottle of Firewhiskey to convince myself that maybe there was a good reason as to why the last two months was a gigantic lie. And it took my having dinner with you and watching how your eyes lit up when you ate that dessert to make me realize that maybe the lie is worth it if I could be the one to place that spark in your eye." Draco sighed. "And then you pushed me away when I kissed you."<p>

Narcissa's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. "You kissed him?" She turned to look at Harry. "And you pushed him away?

Harry frowned, twirling his fork to gather the last of the drenched pasta on his plate. "I didn't wa-," he shook his head lightly. "I wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting himself into."

Narcissa sighed. "Yes, now what are you going to do?"

Harry raised his head and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

Lucius swallowed his last bite of food and answered for his wife. "She means, what are you going to do between you two? Are you going to push Draco away if he kisses you again?"

The flush appeared on Harry's skin again, to Draco's delight.

"Ah, um, well," Harry stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"Spit it out, Potter." Lucius demanded.

"He already kissed me again," Harry rushed out, shoving the last bite of food into his move to avoid answering more questions.

"What?" Narcissa's fork clattered on her plate.

"Yes, and he barely reacted," Draco sighed dramatically. "Somehow, that feels worse than him pushing me away. At least he responded a _little_ the first time."

Harry quickly swallowed. "That's not fair! You ambushed me while I was cooking!" He pouted, earning a soft chuckle from the blond.

Narcissa smiled at the interaction. "Then I am assuming you will be pursuing this attraction you have to Draco?"

Harry's eyes widened and his head snapped to look directly at Draco. "If he'll let me," he said softly.

"This is great! Now when I get in trouble, Uncle Draco can talk to Ms. Caldwell! She really doesn't like him, you know." Teddy spoke up for the first time, his black hair flashing into magenta with his giant grin.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. "Not when, if! She already hates me, best not to get her to hate you as well." He groaned remembering he had to go speak to that horrid woman the next day.

"Ms. Caldwell?" Lucius questioned as the house elves cleared the table.

"She the lady that runs the Muggle school Teddy attends. She doesn't think I'm, well, Lily Black is a suitable guardian for Teddy," he rubbed a hand over his face.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just take Teddy out of the school? I'm sure there are more suitable schools in the wizarding world."

Harry gave a half-smile. "I suppose. I would be coming out of 'hiding' soon anyway. I did promise you I would if I found something worthwhile." He placed a tiny kiss at the corner of Draco's mouth. "I'm hoping your son will be just that something," he added softly. Harry pushed out his chair and stood. "I believe it's time for dessert."

With his face flushed, Harry exited the dining room and headed back to the kitchen. He quickly folded whipped cream into the custard and filled the two pastries. He reached over to the sink and grabbed the berries he washed early. The feeling of warm arms snaking around his waist startled the dark haired wizard.

The feeling of hot breath across his neck caused Harry to shiver and press back into the hard body. Silky blond hair tickled his cheek as he decorated the top of the custard with an assortment of berries. A light dusting of powdered sugar on top finished the tarts.

Draco released one hand from around Harry's waist to steal an extra raspberry. He placed the red treat lightly against those soft lips and watched hungrily as they opened to let in the small fruit. He stifled a moan as Harry took the tip of his finger into that hot mouth, nipping it as those brilliantly green eyes met his own silver ones.

"You really shouldn't do that, Harry. I not sure how much more self-control I can exert," he said breathlessly.

Harry hummed around the finger, releasing it when Draco let out a tiny moan. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with this." He let out a soft laugh and slipped out of Draco's grasp to levitate the tarts behind him as he moved back to the kitchen.

Draco let out a groan and took a deep breath to calm himself. He arrived at the table just as the tart was cut at the slices appeared on their dessert plates.

They spoke the rest of the night about how Harry was going to manage his shop when he revealed himself to the public. Harry settled on simply holding a small press conference, stating he was the owner the whole time. Any Muggles would just think that the previous owner sold the shop and moved. Teddy would be taken out of his current school and be attending one in the wizarding world as soon at the next term started. It wasn't much of a problem since he only had about a month until summer break.

* * *

><p>When the elder Malfoys were satisfied with the plans, Teddy had already fallen asleep on the couch and Harry was reluctant to wake him by going through the floo.<p>

"Why don't you two stay the night?" Narcissa offered.

"Teddy has school tomorrow."

"Tell the school he's sick. You already closed the shop for tomorrow since you have to meet with that woman," Lucius said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Before Harry could protest, Narcissa had already taken the child and moved him into one of the spare rooms.

"Don't even try arguing with her," Lucius voiced as he walked away to join his wife for the night.

Draco turned to Harry and motioned with his head to follow. "Come on. You can sleep in the room next to mine. I'm sure you'd like to sleep near Teddy, but I have no idea where my mother put him."

Harry caught up to the taller man and slipped his cool hand into Draco's warm ones.

Draco looked back with a smile. He pulled Harry into his room and dug around his drawers for pyjamas. He handed him a thin grey shirt and dark green bottoms.

Harry snorted and took the folded clothes. "How Slytherin of you." He turned away and moved to the room next to Draco's to change. The bottoms were a bit long, seeing as Draco was a couple inches taller than him. He figured he should say goodnight to his new boyfriend so he knocked softly on the dark wood of Draco's door.

Draco opened the door and swiftly pulled Harry into the room. His bare chest pressed against the thin material of Harry's shirt. "Did you come for a goodnight kiss?" He asked huskily, his own lips millimeters from Harry's.

Harry's eyes widened at the close contact but he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth enticingly. "No, but I could give you one if you asked nicely," he responded, teasingly licking at the lips in front of him. He drew in a deep breath through his nose as Draco wrapped his arms around his waist and captured his lips in a bruising kiss. He pressed closer to the other male, wrapping his own arms around the blond's neck.

Draco pulled back after a moment, licking at the drop of mixed saliva at the corner of his mouth. He fully took in Harry's appearance, thoroughly snogged lips and all. He moved one hand up into Harry's mussed hair, looking into those glazed over eyes. "You look amazing all dressed up in my clothes. All mine," he growled moving in to claim the other man's mouth again.

Harry moaned as Draco tugged his hair back, causing his head to follow it and allow the Malfoy better access to plunder his mouth. A gasp escaped him when Draco nipped at his tongue and trailed his hand up his spine. He pressed his tongue along Draco's and grinned into the kiss when Draco's hand tightened in his hair as a response.

They pulled away and Harry groaned lightly at the sight of Draco's normally perfect hair all mussed up because of Harry's hands.

Draco smirked, and moved his mouth to Harry's neck, trailing soft kisses and eventually biting down just under his jaw and sucking. He would most likely leave a mark for everyone to see but at this point Harry really didn't care.

Harry worked his mouth, opening and closing, trying to get words out but Draco's tongue and teeth and lips were just so distracting. He tugged at Draco's hair, pulling him from his neck. He placed a long, loving kiss against the blond's mouth and hummed in contentment. Harry discreetly opened the door a crack and pulled away from his love.

"Goodnight, Draco," Harry whispered hoarsely. He grinned at the slight pout Draco made and slipped out the door, padding to his own room and collapsing onto the plush blankets. Slipping under the covers, Harry touched a finger to his lips, tracing where Draco's tongue had been moments before. The dark haired wizard fell into a deep slumber with a content sigh on his lips.

_Hiding in plain sight is definitely worth it if this is my reward. _


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue:

A long pale arm reached out to his side, expecting to clutch onto a warm body. When his hand hit empty air and a cold bed spread, Harry moved his arm frantically. As soon as his fingers collided with the soft pillow, a dull thump sounded. Without opening his eyes, Harry groped blindly for the object and gripped onto a small leather bound box.

Finally opening his eyes, Harry cracked open the box, eyes widening as the glint of gold caught his attention. He gasped and carefully plucked the golden band from its holding place. He turned it over in his fingers when he caught the sight of letter in the light. Barely noticeable, the engraving read, "Scared, Potter?"

Harry bolted straight up, immediately regretting the sudden movement. A sharp pain raced up his spine and a throbbing dull ache situated itself on his lower back. He carefully extracted his naked body from warm cotton sheets, clutching the box tightly in his right hand. Harry winced as he bent down to grasp a pair of pyjama bottom that were a bit too long. Harry realized he had grabbed Draco's pants in his haste. The soft material rested atop his feet, dragging on the ground slightly. Only his toes were visible underneath the thin fabric as Harry gingerly made his way down the steps. He had decided to forgo donning a shirt in favor of making his way to the kitchen where he smelled waffles and heard the happy chatter of his godson.

He walked up to the island where Teddy was perched on a high stool, happily digging into a stack of waffles smothered in what looked to be strawberry preserves. "Morning, Harry," the nine year old spoke after swallowing a mouthful of chewed up waffles and milk.

"Morning, Teddy." He greeted back, boring holes into the back of the blond head mere meters from the island. "Draco." He said curtly as said blond fixed him a stack of waffles.

"Morning, dear. You'll have to do with cinnamon syrup on your waffles, your monster of a godson used up the rest of the preserves." Draco set the plate on the counter, sliding it closer to the brunet.

"Draco," Harry repeated, trying to get the other man to look at him.

"Yes?" Draco looked finally made eye contact, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

"What is this?" Harry spoke, holding up the small box.

"Did you open it?"

"Of course I opened it, you twit!"

"Then, I don't see what the confusion is about. Surely you know what an engagement ring looks like." The smirk had widened now.

Harry glared and set the box on the table.

"Is that a no, then?" Draco's smirk had faltered slightly, truly believing Harry might refuse his proposal.

Harry's glare intensified as he cut viciously into the drenched waffles, causing Draco to flinch slightly.

"Harry?" The blond inched closer, ending up behind the brunet. He kissed the back of his neck lightly.

Harry whirled around and pointed his dripping knife at the blond. "You nearly rip me in half last night with your insatiable libido and then you leave a ring on the bed the following morning without so much as a proper 'will you marry me?' and you expect me to automatically say yes?"

Draco eyed the brunet, before forcefully lowering the knife and roughly tugging Harry flush against his own body. He leaned down so his mouth was level with the other man's ear and growled. "Yes." Draco was immensely pleased as he felt a shiver run through his lover's body.

A defeated sigh escaped those rosy lips as Harry extracted himself from Draco's embrace, reaching over and slipping the ring onto his finger.

Draco grinned and kissed him properly, gently coaxing his mouth open with his tongue. He was glad Teddy had long since vacated the kitchen so he could grope Harry with abandon, pulling tiny gasps and moans from the smaller man. Draco finally released him, smacking Harry's bottom which earned him a hiss and a two fingered salute.

"Finish your breakfast, We'll be heading over to the Manor to tell Mother and Father the good news," he chuckled.

After eating his full of sugary goodness, Harry walked back up the stairs to his and Draco's shared room. He changed into a white button up and black slacks. Walking to his bedside table, Harry grinned. He grabbed a little black box and rushed down the stairs to meet Draco and Teddy in the drawing room.

The fire was already lit and Draco was talking to Teddy magical creatures. They both stood as Harry entered the room.

Draco walked over to Harry to give him a kiss but saw that he was hiding something behind his back. He raised an eyebrow at Harry before a black object flew at him. With his seeker instincts, Draco caught the small box with a smirk on his face. He cracked open the box and his smirk widened into a smile. He plucked the ring from the holding place and was about to put it on when he saw the engraving.

A soft laugh reached Harry's ears as Draco took in the engraving. "You wish, Malfoy" was inscribed along the inside.

Draco slipped the ring onto his finger and gave a chaste kiss on the lips of his fiance. "And how did you know what was on the inside of your ring before I gave it to you? I kept it with me at all times, you couldn't possibly have found it."

Harry grinned. "You're not the only one capable of Slytherin tactics, my prince. I sent Ryder to follow you when Ginny mentioned you began to fidget and space out during work. She feared something may be wrong with you, or that maybe you were planning to leave me," Harry placed his hands softly on Draco's chest, not looking up when he felt the man tense at the thought of leaving him. "I knew you wouldn't tell me if anything was wrong, but I so badly wanted to know what was going on. Stupid Gryffindors, I know," Harry interrupted when he felt Draco take in a breath to say something.

Draco smiled softly down at the brunet as he continued.

"So I had Ryder follow you for about a week and then he saw you go to the jewelers and heard your order. He had no idea what your engraving was supposed to mean, but he came back and reported to me anyway." Harry twisted the ring on his finger. "The next day, I had Ryder cover for me at work and bought this ring, responding to your very words on my ring." Harry smiled. "I was only going to give you your ring after I heard a proper proposal, but I figured the great Draco Malfoy would never be as normal as to kneel on one knee and utter the traditional words of a proposal," He laughed, leaning up to kiss at the lips stretched into a smile.

Draco kissed back, wrapping his arms tightly around the man. "How Slytherin of you, Harry," he muttered. "Now, we really must get to the Manor. Mother expected us about ten minutes ago. I've already sent Teddy through while you were unraveling your elaborate schemes to me."

Harry slipped his hand into Draco's and stepped through the still green flames.

As Harry stepped through, he was swept into a crushing hug by Narcissa.

"I told you you'd truly be a Malfoy someday."

Harry laughed and hugged back. "It's good to be home, Mother." Harry grinned as tears glazed the Malfoy Matriarch's eyes.

Draco greeted his mother and father as they turned to the sitting room. "Mother tells me she's been planning our wedding since the day you discovered that potion to change your appearance."

Harry's eyes widened and turned to the elder Malfoys.

Lucius shrugged, "She wanted you in our family so badly, and Malfoys always get what they want."

"And if I said no to Draco's mediocre proposal? If I never fell in love with him?"

Draco pulled the brunet into his lap after helping Teddy up onto the couch.

"I knew you couldn't resist the Malfoy charm," Narcissa grinned.

"That is true," Harry smiled back, squirming in Draco's hold to get comfortable. "But what if Draco hadn't fallen for me?"

Draco smirked. "If you recall, I _wanted_ to be your friend in first year but you rejected me. I eventually got what I wanted and so much more." He nibbled on Harry's ear lobe, tugged lightly at the silver rings, and watched with amusement as Harry tried to stifle a moan.

Harry tore his head away from Draco's mouth and turned to his future in-laws. "Since we're all content with the situation of my being claimed by the Malfoy family, I'd like to share some news."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "You're not pregnant are you?"

Harry looked alarmed. "Wizards can get pregnant?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "No, but I was afraid the potion you took for five years permanently changed your," he gestured to Harry's body.

Draco laughed and tightened his grip around Harry's waist. "I can assure you, Father. Harry is still very much a man. All his bits are in the right places."

Harry's face flushed rapidly as he was reminded of how Draco had made sure he had the right bits. Last night was exhausting and he assumed tonight would be the same. A celebration, Draco would reason, not that Harry would complain. He loved the feel of Draco in him, his tongue and lips tracing every part of his body and the feel of Draco's smooth, heated skin under his own fingers and mouth. He cleared his throat and brushed aside any further thoughts before he embarrassed himself by becoming painfully aroused in the presence of Lucius and Narcissa.

"Ah, um. No. I'm not. I wanted to tell you I've been offered the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts by Professor McGonagall. Well, I suppose she's Headmistress now."

"That's wonderful, Harry. Are you going to take it?" Narcissa smiled. "It'll do you some good to do magic other than to levitate heavy objects."

Harry chuckled softly. "Yes. I plan to take the position. I have already signed the lease of my shop to be turned over to my landlord. I'll be moving into Hogwarts next month."

"But what of Teddy? And Draco?"

"Teddy will be coming with me and as for Draco," he turned in the man's lap and met his questioning gaze. "I'm sure he can stand a few nights away from me."

"What makes you think you can deprive me of your beautiful body when we're going to get married?"  
>"I'm a Malfoy now. I can do whatever the hell I want." Harry glared.<p>

Draco growled lightly. "You're not a Malfoy yet. You're still a Potter right now. You can always floo to Hogwarts every morning for class." He spoke in a hushed tone

"Draco," Harry frowned. "Can we not discuss this now?"

Draco's grip tightened even further causing Harry to gasp, but the other man hadn't said anything about letting up so Draco kept his hold on the smaller man.

During their visit at the Manor, Narcissa had surprised Harry by giving him a pair of cuff links with the Malfoy crest on them. An early wedding gift, she said. After a light lunch, Harry took Teddy to Bill and Fleur's for his weekly sleep over as Draco headed back to 12 Grimmauld Place.

As Harry stepped through the floo, Draco reached his hand out for Harry to take. Harry toed off his shoes and spelled his clothes to change into something more comfortable . He made his way over to his fiance, taking his hand lightly and straddling the other man's lap.

"You know I have no choice than to live at Hogwarts. All professors are required to live on campus as well as the students," he spoke quietly, playing with Draco's fingers in his lap.

"I know, love, but I don't want to let you go. What if you fall out of love with me while you're there?" Draco voiced, running his free hand up Harry's t-shirt, along his spine.

Harry leaned forward into the warm body. "Don't ever think that, Draco. You know I love you with all my heart even though I rarely say it. I would never leave you." He placed a kiss on hollow of the collarbone in front of him.

"At the risk of sounding like a bleeding Hufflepuff, I really don't want to let you go; I'll miss you too much. My bed will be cold and empty at night and I'll have no one to fight the covers for." His husky voice vibrated in his chest as Harry pressed closer, trailing feather light kisses against his jaw.

"Then," Harry paused, placing a light kiss on his chin. "Come with me," he murmured against Draco's soft lips.

Draco looked into those brilliant bottle green eyes and raised an eyebrow.

Harry ran his tongue lightly across Draco's lips, wetting them before he connected his mouth to Draco's.

"You could come with me. The current potions professor is pregnant and McGonagall mentioned she would need a replacement soon," he worried Draco's bottom lip between his teeth. "She said Professor Kingston would be taking maternity leave by Christmas. I'm sure she wouldn't mind having an extra pair of hands to help out."

Harry wiggled in his lap, grinding his hips into the blond's, rewarding him with a strained groan. "And then," he shoved his tongue into Draco's mouth, licking teasingly at the insides of his cheeks. "And then, you would have already had a connection with the students and the transition to a different professor will go smoothly, yeah?" He straightened up, resting his arms on the blond's shoulders. "Please? I'll let you chose how our quarters look." He down into glittering, amused mercury eyes.

"This was your plan all along. To seduce me into going back to Hogwarts with you and Teddy." Draco, gripped Harry's bottom punishingly. Harry moaned."_Isn't that right, Harry?_" He purred, smirking as Harry bit his lip guiltily.

"Did it work?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah," Draco whispered back. He stood up, clutching Harry tightly to his chest. "But now you're going to get punished for using such tactics on me."

Harry hummed in approval, licking his lips in anticipation as Draco pulled him up to their bedroom, stopping occasionally when Draco slammed him up against the walls in his impatience.

Harry sighed happily to himself as his back finally made contact with the plush blankets and a warm, hard body moved over his own. He was finally getting everything he's wanted his entire life. Someone to love.

_After all, Malfoys, and now Potters, always get what they want. _

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><p><strong>Thank you all so much for reading this! It's the longest story I've ever written! I hope you liked it~ 3 Happy Reading~<strong>_  
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